How To Train Your Dragon: Perturbation
by TheGrudge154
Summary: The last thing Hiccup remembered was falling out of the sky. The next thing he knew, he was awake, surrounded by darkness and cave walls with only a lantern for company. The note next to him said all it had to. "Lose him. Or lose yourself." Reviews appreciated. Rated T for violence.
1. Entombed

**How To Train Your Dragon:** **Perturbation  
Chapter 1: Entombed**

* * *

The morning breeze seemed to sing as it wound its way between the homes of Berk. The faint shimmering of frosty crystals on the grass seemed to illuminate the ground as the sun began to peek itself over the horizon. The village had been through tough times over the past few months. Even setting aside the recovery effort, the fact that the island was no longer bound in place by water meant that many dangers had shown themselves. And despite the fact that there had been no sighting or news of the man, the residents of Berk knew that Drago Bludvist was still out there, plotting his next move in retaliation for his humiliating defeat at the hands of their dragons. Still, it was no reason for the majority of them to be concerned. With a strong chief and an equally strong Alpha dragon on their side, the Vikings rested easily in this crisp morning in the knowledge that they were safe. So easily in fact that not many were awake to see this sunrise, unsurprising given how early in the day it was. Except for one that is.

Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III was sat near one of the cliff edges of the village, his gaze lost over the surface of the ocean as if he was imagining sailing over it at the speed of a dragon. Something he could easily conjure up given how he had done it many times before. The way the water glistened in the red shine of the dawn was breathtaking and any other day Hiccup would be racing to meet it without a care in the world. But his thoughts were now somewhere else apart from flying. He shivered for a moment as he hugged his arms in towards himself, his messy hair ruffling in the light breeze as it rolled in off the sea. He hadn't been able to sleep, having dressed quickly in his flying leathers and wrapping the customary chieftain fur cape around his neck to give him some protection from the cold. He'd left the house long before Toothless would wake him up. He couldn't even begin to guess at the time. Four, maybe five? Time was difficult for him to keep track of these days.

It had been nearly half a year since Hiccup had officially become the chief of Berk and it was starting to take a toll on him. It wasn't because he doubted himself at his ability to do so. At least, he wouldn't admit that. Valka, Astrid, the other riders and even Gobber had shown that he didn't need to worry after what he and Toothless had accomplished and running the village and doing what was expected of him had become the norm by now. However, the more he had thought about it, the more he still had those residual feelings of hesitation. Sure, he was the chief. But it wasn't because he wanted to be. He had simply had no choice. He had done more than his fair share of individual leadership and delegation during his running of the Dragon Training Academy, but this was a whole new level. Responsible for an entire village? After the mistakes he'd made with the Edge and Drago? It did make him stop to think.

However, on this particular morning, another thought was crossing the young Viking's mind. This was more a sense of feeling trapped. Maybe that wasn't the exact right word for it, but it fit well. The damage from Drago's attack had long since been repaired and the event itself had faded into memory as normal daily life resumed. And yet even despite being able to make time for himself and Toothless on a morning, Hiccup felt like he had been confined to the island and surrounding rocks in his running of the village. Keeping true to his father's words of a chief protecting his own was what he strove to do every day, kept his mind occupied. But the other half of him, the half he took from his mother, was yearning to explore again. He felt the same way he had years ago when he was first trying to fly beyond Berk's borders, his flights with Toothless nowadays restricted to the neighboring rocks as patrols for any remnants of Drago's army or Drago himself. And, partially at his family and friends' insistence, he didn't want to come across as irresponsible by just disappearing. Even so, it still almost made him feel like he was chained to the ground sometimes. He and Toothless didn't even have the time to do proper lengthy flights just for themselves anymore unless it was part of the Dragon Racing. Even with Valka's previous help at making his map more complete, he knew there was more out there to discover.

 _'We can't have seen it all...'_ Hiccup thought as he continued to stare out to the edge of the horizon _. 'I know Dad would probably shout and be all...Viking-y about it. Tell me off. 'Of all the irresponsible...!' Just like last time huh?'_ He paused at that memory. He'd made his dad that frustrated so many times in the past, he'd be the same way if he was here now. ' _But what if something's out there that could help us against Drago? What if he finds it first?'_ His arm started reaching out as if he could just pick up the edge of the world and bring it to him. It was a good justification to think up as to why he wanted to go. He smirked as he caught himself doing that. He used to think the world was so small, that everything was small thanks to being on the wings of a dragon. But after facing Drago and his trappers along with discovering all the new species of dragon with Toothless and his mother, it was still so much bigger than he could imagine. And he wanted to see it all. The young Viking crossed over his legs, resting his prosthetic one on his good foot to stop his muscles seizing up in the cold. He flicked open the compass on his sleeve, glancing at the tiny needle like he were plotting a course. Subconsciously he was. His mind was already thinking of headings, places that they had never touched before on the map, even though it would mean disappearing from Berk as he used to without a second thought. Still, the young Viking chief had grown tired of not being able to fly properly with Toothless. He began to think that if he was lucky, Toothless would wake soon and the pair would be able to fly out somewhere really quick and be back before anyone woke up. A single morning wouldn't be too much to ask for, would it?

* * *

Meanwhile, back in the much warmer interior of the house, Toothless was slowly rousing from his long sleep. His internal body clock seemed to have automatically synced itself to when the right time to have a morning flight was, just as the sun was beginning to rise and there wouldn't be any people to disturb. Though, even the dragon had to admit that lately it had just meant waking up in preparation for a day of keeping the peace rather than flying. With an irritated grumble as a small beam of sunlight brushed over one of his eyes, Toothless stretched his front legs out, his rear end raising up like a cat which his tall soon followed in a graceful flick. He yawned, getting his muscles in working order as he licked his jaws. Stretching his wings would wait until he was outside, especially after he got yelled at for knocking over some things last time. Even as an Alpha, he still didn't like getting shouted at. The Night Fury's body relaxed itself again as his claws gripped into the floor, shaking his head into full working order as his eyes adjusted to the dim light coming in through the cracks of the house's walls. Time to get Hiccup awake.

 _'Alright, Hiccup, hope you're ready!'_

Toothless had already got this routine down to a fine art. Where in the past he would shake his human awake from the rooftops, his new strategy involved gently patting him and then giving the biggest of licks to get him up. The look on his face was always priceless! Much like Valka, Hiccup could be a heavy sleeper at times but it was nothing that a face full of dragon tongue couldn't solve. With a gentle rumbling that almost resembled a snicker, Toothless began to creep along the floor carefully, trying to take special care not to wake the Viking sleeping not three feet away up too soon. At least, until he noticed that he wasn't there. Toothless' stealthy appearance suddenly halted as he growled in confusion. Hiccup didn't usually wake before him, making the Night Fury suddenly feel a little worried. He cooed quietly, wondering if Hiccup was just somewhere he couldn't see. He didn't get a response, just the slight crackle of the fire still burning from yesterday on the ground floor. Toothless rumbled to himself in suspicion and began to make his way down the stairs. Not the easiest thing to manage given the bulk of his wings, but he actually managed to do fairly well even as the wood creaked under his feet. The dragon felt pleased with himself, having almost reached the door without a sound until his tail betrayed him and thwacked against the wood. Toothless froze, his eyes wide.

If there was one thing he had learned to do over the past few months, it was not to wake up Cloudjumper. Valka and her own beloved dragon slept in the main living area of the house together, leaving Hiccup and Toothless their own space upstairs. Though Hiccup's mother had been more than forgiving and kind whenever she had been woken by accident, Cloudjumper on the other hand was notoriously grumpy if the same happened to him. Even if the Night Fury was the Alpha and technically didn't have a reason to be worried about it, Toothless knew that Cloudjumper was not a morning dragon. Thankfully for him, the Stormcutter remained asleep despite the noise, his bulk rising and falling almost in sync with Valka who slept at his side. Toothless had found it both curious and amusing that she chose to sleep without a bed near Cloudjumper. Eventually, he had become so curious that he'd tried to do the same thing, eventually discovering how much better it felt to sleep that way. On the odd chilly night when the weather was particularly rough, keeping Hiccup nestled against his side with his claws just felt right. Right now, Valka was doing the same, one of Cloudjumper's wings wrapped around her like a scaly cocoon as she slept. The Night Fury smiled to himself for a moment before he snapped back to his task. Perhaps Hiccup was just getting some fresh air? He re-entered his stealth mode and headed for the door, making sure to keep his tail to himself this time.

* * *

"And then these ones had a jagged edge to them or...maybe it was the island next to them with the Typhoomerangs..."  
Hiccup's pencil darted over his map as he muttered to himself. Currently on his knees as the gigantic spread of paper was laid across the ground, he was refining his sketches after months of wear and tear. Some of the lines had faded and he was scouring his memories to try and remember the particular shapes of some lands he had been unable to visit in a long time. There were even some on here he had never been to before, only having been shown them thanks to Valka's efforts. He bit his lower lip as he paused, flexing his fingers to stop them freezing up before he resumed his sketching. Maybe they could end up going to one of these places for themselves?

Hiccup's concentration and scheming was broken when he heard the creak of a wooden door behind him, followed by the sound of heavy footsteps and rumbling noises approaching his back. Hiccup smiled and began to fold the map away into his pocket, shoving his pencil back into his sleeve compartment as he stood up to meet his friend.  
"Mornin', bud! Looks like I beat you to it today, huh?" he called, watching with a broad smile as the Night Fury pounced towards him like a big scaly dog. Toothless leaped, nudging his head into the Viking's stomach with a content growling sound at finding him as Hiccup's hands began to run over his scales in scratching motions. Thankfully that nudge wasn't powerful enough to send him over the cliff edge. Like last time...  
"Sorry if I made you worry, Toothless, wasn't in the sleeping mood." Toothless' tongue lolled out of his mouth before his eyes focused on his human, his head tilting to the side as the only warning before Hiccup was suddenly given a big lick along his chest armor and lower chin. Hiccup himself cringed a little bit and playfully shoved Toothless' head back to wipe himself down. Even when he was awake before the dragon, he always seemed to be getting 'attacked' like this.  
"What have I told you about that?" he grumbled, brushing his now wet hands over his chest as the dragon seemed to 'laugh' at his misfortune. At least until those hands raised in a threat to flick the drool back at him. As Toothless remembered this happening at Itchy Armpit, he became quiet and rolled his eyes off to the side. Satisfied, Hiccup instead flicked the excess to the ground before sitting down again on the grass. Toothless followed, patting the ground with his feet before he too sat at his human's side. He turned his head around Hiccup's shoulder, wondering what had made the young chief become so intent on staring at the ocean so early in the day. Hiccup didn't notice at first until he felt Toothless' breath ruffle his hair. He raised his arm up and let it drape over the Night Fury's neck as he spoke.  
"Been a while since we were able to go out there, huh?" he thought aloud. Toothless cooed, nudging him again as if to force him to explain his line of questioning. Hiccup didn't resist the offer as he gently stroked over the dragon's neck.  
"I mean, we never did finish the map properly with all that "BloodyFist" and trapper business," Hiccup said. "And I know the flights haven't been too fun for you being stuck around here, have they?" Toothless would admit that it had become a bit stale, though could only reply with a snort instead of words. With all of these patrol flights, their former routine of tricks and adrenaline pumping experiences alone seemed more like times of old than recent memories. However, the dragon still understood the reason behind it. As chief and Alpha together, they had an important job. Valka and Astrid had both talked their ears off about it as if to hammer it into them. Toothless couldn't blame them given Hiccup's past attempts at rebellion, it was well needed. Hiccup raised a brow as Toothless' gaze turned to the rest of the sleeping village before it spun back to him. His thick ear-plates ruffled in the breeze as a shiver ran down the dragon's back from the cold, his rumbling taking on a questioning tone as to what his rider was trying to hint at. Hiccup, dropping all subtlety, smiled at his dragon with a gentle rub to his neck once again.  
"So what do you say to you and me taking off? Just for today, go off and see somewhere from Mom's map?" The Viking seemed excited at the prospect, his smile only growing as he hoped the Night Fury would agree with him. "It'd be just what we need to liven things up, we'd be back before dinner!" To Hiccup's surprise, Toothless didn't immediately mirror his human's enthusiasm. It seemed to start as the dragon perked at the mention of a flight for themselves. It had been so long since then that the Night Fury felt a rising giddiness in his throat before he felt himself hesitating. His brilliant green eyes turned away from his human, staring at the ground with an unsure croon.

 _'I do miss it. But maybe it's better that we don't...'_

Doing that did sound like fun compared to recent weeks, but with all of the village and dragons relying on the pair of them to keep things under control, Toothless wasn't sure. Maybe some of Valka and Astrid's expectations of the pair had began to rub off on him.  
"Come on, Toothless, it's just for one day," Hiccup reasoned. "I think we deserve just a teeny bit of a break from being all...chief-y and Alpha-ry. No-one'll even know we're gone! Just one teeny little island, I swear!" Toothless didn't seem impressed at Hiccup's choice of words and repeated his noise. The Viking smirked and nudged his dragon on the chin. "Come on, baby boo, you need this too. It'll be fun! I promise we won't be long, just for the morning," he said, ruffling at Toothless' head playfully as the dragon managed to smile back at him from the touch. It only took a few more moments of ruffling and scratching and seeing Hiccup's sheer enthusiasm for the idea to win over the Night Fury. Only one morning wouldn't be too much and his human looked like he really needed the change in routine. The dragon growled, happily bouncing around his human in agreement as Hiccup laughed and jumped around in tandem with him. He knew Astrid would probably be rolling her eyes at this, but he took the chances to be silly with Toothless when they came. He used a hand gesture to calm Toothless down and then brought the dragon's head to rest upon his own, the Night Fury's eyes crossing inwards to look at him affectionately.  
"Thanks, bud."

* * *

As Hiccup clicked the metal connections of Toothless' saddle into place, he opened up his compass again to confirm their heading. Having rechecked the explored and unexplored lands on the map, one particular isle had stood out to him as worth checking out. One that didn't have a name even with Valka filling in the blanks. Why she hadn't told him about it during their initial meeting, he couldn't guess, probably because it was just somewhere empty. Even so, he wanted to be the first to name it properly and hopefully not with a name related to a dragon body part. Hiccup squinted as he looked over the ocean. From the looks of it, they were due to head left away from the rising sun until they reached a rock formation that Valka had dubbed the Syfon Rocks. From there, it was only a short glide to the island below. Nodding in confirmation of their route, Hiccup grabbed the handles of Toothless' saddle and pulled himself up onto his dragon's back. Toothless instinctively crouched, preparing for take off at his human's command with a perked up ear-plate.  
"Just like riding a cart, huh, bud?" Hiccup mused, the setup for their flight returning instantly despite the passage of time. Once you did it, you never forgot. With a final rubbing around the Night Fury's neck, Hiccup nodded and pointed his free hand skywards. "Let's go!"

 _'You got it!'_

In a matter of moments, Toothless' powerful legs had catapulted them off the ground, Hiccup's own prosthetic leg activating the tail to give them lift. As the dragon's wings beat heavily towards the ground, the pair of them suddenly arched forwards and dived off Berk's edge towards the sea. With a triumphant roar and equally joyous cry between them, the duo pulled themselves up just as they were about to hit the ocean, racing along its surface like a missile. The water beneath Toothless' wings parted from his sheer speed, the dragon making slight adjustments with his wing tips for a moment before Hiccup forced them to turn upwards towards the few clouds above their heads. Holding onto the saddle handles, Hiccup pulled his body down tight against Toothless' back to reduce their drag and allow the Night Fury to finally pierce the veil of haze with a roll.  
"Yeah, baby, keep goin'!" Hiccup yelled. As they cleared the tops of the clouds and were met with what looked like an endless expanse of pinkish white being gently touched by the Night Fury's claws as they soared, Hiccup's body felt tingly with excitement. As Valka had said to him long ago, being up here just made him feel free. After months, he felt like he was back in a natural habitat, his arms spreading outwards to catch the wind as though he could take off himself. This was what he loved more than anything. Just him and Toothless with the world far below them. Toothless himself echoed the sentiment with a delighted growl, turning his head to glance back to the human clearly enjoying himself. He began to think, wondering what kind of antics the Viking would want to get up to. Maybe some more solo gliding since they had perfected it with Drago? Maybe some more flips or something even more daring?  
"No tricks today, bud," Hiccup commanded, much to the Night Fury's surprise. "Just keep it steady and smooth. Feel that wind in your wings." Toothless nodded his head in acknowledgement and agreement as the chill of the high altitude air made his body wriggle a little. Even just being able to go somewhere else was enough for now and the dragon realised it would probably not be the best idea to try anything crazy. They were a bit rusty at doing so after all, so steady and smooth it was.

Hiccup couldn't wipe the smile off his face as he reached for the map in his pocket to confirm where they were going, keeping a firm grip on it in his hands as the edges fluttered from the air. According to Valka's description of their destination, the Syfon Rocks were gigantic structures of volcanic rock, formed from when an ancient eruption threatened to pierce the heavens from its ferocity. Those columns of now frozen magma remained today and and were easily viewable through the clouds if you knew where to look. Strangely, Valka had never said what the isle beyond them contained, only adding to Hiccup's need to solve the mystery. As Toothless began to angle off the flight into the right direction, Hiccup kept his eyes peeled for anything sticking above the clouds to their level. However, he also knew that it would take a little time before they found anything given how far away it was from Berk. Not too long thanks to Night Fury speeds, but enough to make him relax his searching stance. Right now, he decided to focus on spending some quality time with Toothless, the worries of being a leader slipping away from his thoughts like the way Berk grew small behind them. Toothless seemed to imitate his humans' behavior, scanning the horizon of cloud for a moment before enjoying the isolation up here as well. Hiccup leaned forward, idly scratching about one of Toothless' ear plates as a purring rumble came back in response. He felt so relaxed up in the skies like this and it was all thanks to this magnificent creature. The Viking felt like the luckiest man on the planet, his hand continuing to move in gentle tracing patterns around the plates on the dragon's back. Just him and Toothless. That's all it needed to be.

As he reflected on the situation he found himself in and how he had been so fortunate to become so close to the Night Fury, he suddenly felt something stir in his chest. With all of their duties to the island and the dragons as the chief and Alpha respectively, Hiccup suddenly felt like he hadn't been able to properly give his friend this attention and affection for a long time, at least not like this. They had been too busy with repairs and construction, too tired with maintaining regular life on Berk, too surrounded by other people to really be alone except for at night time. And even then was far too brief. Hiccup also knew that Toothless had not exactly recovered from his ordeal with the Bewilderbeast. The Night Fury still seemed bothered by it, sometimes guilty. As much as the chief had tried to help and be a source of comfort, their time together always seemed to be too short for his liking to help. Given their lack of genuine free time to spend until now, Hiccup suddenly felt a little emotional that he was now able to do so as his eyes took in the serene beauty of the situation, catching himself by surprise at the sudden lump in his throat. He wasn't sure where it had come from. Maybe it was the way the sun tinted the clouds a shade of rose that seemed to billow and flow with the air currents running through the Toothless' wings. Maybe it was just because he finally had a chance to truly be alone with his dragon for a decent time for the first time in months. He didn't know. Either way, Hiccup just felt incredibly thankful to be with Toothless right now, the moment making his heart soar.  
"It's been too long since we did this, bud. Thank you for taking us up here," Hiccup murmured. His dragon tilted his head back, a curious sound escaping his jaws as he listened to his human speak. Hiccup had never spoken this way during their flights before. Was something different? Hiccup paused, trying to find what he wanted to say before his feelings started to spill into the open without a filter. "What I mean is that, uh...I missed this. Being up here with you without a care in the world. Up here, it's like we could circle the globe over and then do it all again if we wanted to, huh?" Toothless crooned, the vibrations of his tone making the Viking's body tingle from their frequency.

 _'We'll be able to one day. The world's easy to see together.'_

"Back home, everyone's counting on us and, uh, well... I could never say it to Astrid or my Mom or the others because I don't want to let them down, but there are times I just wanna fly off to forget it for some time. And you, bud...even without me asking, you're there for me." Hiccup paused again, swallowing to clear his throat. Toothless hummed to him affectionately at his words, seemingly touched by the young man's outburst of emotion as his head turned back to try and look him in the eye. The Viking's body leaned down until he was almost resting his stomach against the dragon's back.  
"Throughout all we've done, you've always been there to help me when it's felt like too much. And I'm so sorry I've not been able to return any of it for a while," Hiccup said, his voice wavering for a moment as he looked above their heads to the faint outline of the stars in the dawn light. Just dark enough to catch their outlines, looking close enough to fly up and touch.  
"Ugh, listen to me getting all sentimental and whiny...'Pride Of Berk' is as big a baby as his dragon is," Hiccup muttered. Toothless' own smile followed his human's dry humor, twitching his head to playfully hit his rider with an ear plate.

 _'Who's the baby boo now?'_

Hiccup smirked and rested his head against the dragon's neck, wrapping his arms around the Night Fury as best he could with a gentle squeeze.  
"What I'm trying to say is... thanks, Toothless." Hiccup beamed, the dragon looking back at him with a pleased expression at the compliment. "I'm always going to be there for you too. I promise, bud." The Night Fury seemed just as emotional as he happily sung back a noise of affection. With nothing to distract him, Toothless even closed his eyes for a moment to savor his Hiccup's touch. The way those hands still felt comforting and warm against his scales even all the way in the frigid air of the skies just felt right. If Toothless could speak, he knew he'd say exactly the same thing back. The pair continued to fly in silence, the rush of the wind around them being the only accompaniment to their moment alone.

* * *

After around half an hour of flying towards their goal, Hiccup was laying on his back against Toothless' saddle. He stared upwards at the still fairly dark sky, making mental notes of all the patterns he could see in the stars before the rising stun would make them impossible to see. A sudden noise from his dragon caught his attention. The Viking sat up using his elbows and leaned forward to take a hold of the saddle handles so he could see what Toothless had. A spiraling tower of intertwining rocks, black as night and dimly lit in the slowly rising sun. Hiccup adjusted himself, holding onto the handles to check his map again.  
"OK, bud, that looks like the Syfon Rocks. We must be getting close." Toothless rumbled with a nod of his head, gently tilting his wings downwards to descend into the body of clouds. Hiccup's eyes screwed shut as the thick mist of the white lumps hanging in the sky blasted past them at some great speed. Almost took a bit of time to remember that you were travelling faster than you realized all the way up here. Eventually, the white obscuring his vision cleared and Hiccup was greeted by a rather surprising sight.  
"Wha...? Are we in the right place?"  
Just as the map said there would be, an island sat upon the surface of the ocean. The Syfon Rocks stood like a beacon to draw travelers here, towering above them above the clouds the duo had just descended from. But the island itself wasn't unlike anything the map had described. Valka's own drawings and his own had shown it would be nothing more than a single spot of land, smaller than the former location of the Edge. But the mass they saw beneath them was gigantic, nearly comparable in size to the Sanctuary. Something felt amiss. Valka had never been wrong since she had seen so much. How could she have missed this? Toothless felt it too, a hesitant rumbling vibrating to Hiccup's fingertips resting against his scale.  
"I know, bud, I wasn't expecting it either. Let's try and get a closer look." Toothless nodded and angled them off, passing the giant presence of the Syfon Rocks. Each one was like a pillar, their age apparent from the small amount of plant life that was growing on it. Hiccup's mouth opened a little as he took in their wonder, such geology being alien in comparison to what he'd seen before. Sea stacks and coastlines were one thing, but this was like the eruption that caused it had simply been frozen when it happened.  
 _'Well, at least we'll have most of the morning to explore this place,'_ Hiccup thought to himself. But before he could question on what to do first, the Viking found himself being lurched off to the side with an ear splitting boom.

* * *

The nearest pillar of rock to their cruising altitude suddenly exploded in a gigantic burst of flame, lashes of heat and fire singing the end of Toothless' right wing from the ferocity. Hiccup shouted out in alarm. What was that? He hadn't seen where it had come from, no projectile or hint of anything being rigged. The dragon roared, flailing in the air as he did an involuntary barrel roll to his left, his injured wing pulled in close to his body out of instinct to protect it and causing Hiccup to cling for dear life to the saddle.  
"Toothless!" he yelled, pulling at the saddle's restraints the other way to try and stop the dragon's roll. "Come on, bud, hold us up!" He briefly managed to catch sight of the end of the Night Fury's wing as his footwork with the tail helped them to right themselves, the delicate membrace near the outer bone having been burned and scorched rather viscerally to the point it made him feel ill to see.

 _'It hurts... hurts...'_

Alarm coursed through Hiccup, heart pounding against his ribs. None of this made sense. Dragons were way too resilient to fire to be affected by it on it's own, especially dragons as fast as Toothless. Something about that explosion wasn't normal. Toothless himself hissed and whined in pain, his flight clearly lopsided with one of his wings injured as much as it was.  
"I'm sorry, bud, I know it hurts!" Hiccup yelled over the cacophony of collapsing rock. "I'll do what I can when we get down there, but we need to-"  
Before he had chance to comment further, another explosion further down the pillar suddenly burst into life. The top section of the volcanic rock began to crumble at an increasing pace, like an avalanche of black tumbling down towards them.  
"Move, Toothless!" he yelled, pulling hard on the saddle handles to increase their turning speed to get out of the way. Ricocheting fragments of rock bounced off each other, pelting into both of their bodies like the heaviest hail they could imagine. Both of them were too preoccupied with protecting themselves from the small shrapnel to notice the near boulder size chunk slam into Toothless' injured wing. Toothless howled in agony as he was sent spinning from the sky violently, the snapping of bone and wet sound of torn muscle somehow reaching Hiccup's ears through his alarmed state.  
"Toothless!"  
The pair were plummeting like the rocks that had hit them, a trail of blood accompanying their fall like a twisted version of a vapor trail. Hiccup's prosthetic jarred around in the saddle's socket to do anything to help his dragon stay upright. But nothing was working, his eyes screwing shut as the sea started to come up towards them.  
"Come on, bud, hold it together!" he screamed over the noise. "I've got you, I'm right here, we can-OOF!"  
Hiccup felt a sharp thwack to the back of his head that cut off his speech. His words were lost to him, dancing away like he'd never thought to say them in the first place. The world turned upside down and not from Toothless' spinning. He felt light headed, his concentration on the moment faltering as all his thoughts began to ebb away into comforting black. In a matter of seconds, his body slumped off of the saddle into a freefall.

 _'Hiccup, no! HICCUP!'_

Before he lost consciousness, Hiccup could have sworn he heard Toothless roaring at him. He could have sworn he saw a rock stained with his own blood sailing past him like a dead weight. He wasn't even aware of making impact with the water.

* * *

Hiccup's next memory was one of feeling like he'd been chewed up by a Monstrous Nightmare and spat out again. All of his limbs ached. His thoughts were a jumble. His head was still spinning and he couldn't even open his eyes for fear of being sick. He could at least tell he was resting on solid ground now, a fact that confused him since they had been ready to meet the ocean before he blacked out.  
 _'Where... am I?'_  
With a grunt of exertion, Hiccup started to slightly roll to his side and then eventually on to his front as he struggled to make sense of where he was. He suddenly winced in pain as the new position of his head forced a sharp pain to radiate from where he had been struck. Rivulets of hot blood pooled from the wound and traveled through his hair, running in thick lines over his brow and dripping to the ground in deep crimson splashes. He slowly started to open his eyes despite the clenched teeth to deal with the pain. There was a source of light resting nearby him, lit and resting on the floor. A single lantern. As he forced his vision to focus on it, his still pained legs refused to move. He stretched out with an arm towards the lantern's handle with another noise of effort, the age of the thing apparent as it squeaked and groaned from its moving parts. Taking shaky but deep breaths, Hiccup pushed himself onto his knees and waved the lantern around. His eyes were still partially closed from the brightness of the light, one of them more so from the blood running near it.  
 _'What...?'_  
That was the only question he could think. He was in some sort of cave, or at least the very back of one. The walls of rock surrounded him like a tomb's structure, the tunnel stretching off into black so deep he couldn't fathom how long it went on for. A gentle rumble and occasional drips of moisture from the roof proved he was probably very deep underground, prompting another flood of questions to form in his mind. Had someone found him? He quickly checked over himself to make sure he still had everything and felt dismay when he realized he hadn't.  
"Oh, come on..." he mumbled. Inferno was missing from its holster and so were the canisters that fueled it. His compass had been removed from his sleeve compartment and the map under his chest plate was missing as well. He hadn't just been found. Someone had stripped him of his possessions while they were at it. How on earth had he gotten here in the first place? Why had he been stupid enough to make them come out here? Then he thought of something much more pressing on his mind.  
Where was Toothless?

"Bud...?" Hiccup called out, straining at his vocal cords to work like they had forgotten how as he stared off into the abyss of black. The sound of his currently husky voice echoed out into the depths of the cave, reverberating against the walls and giving him the eerie feeling like someone was calling back to him as it bounced back.  
"Toothless? Are you there?" No response except for the echo. He tried to do so louder with another shout of his dragon's name, making the echo this time powerful enough to make him wince.  
"Toothless!"  
Nothing. The Viking huffed in frustration, feeling like he wanted to punch the wall for all the good it would do him. As he scuffed his feet against the ground, the dim glow of the lantern picked up on the edge of what looked like parchment. Hiccup stared down at it. It was far too small to be his map and he didn't have any other sort of note on him when he left. He knelt down, using his free arm to rub against his brow and smear the partially dried blood to keep it out of his eyes. That same arm then grabbed the piece of parchment as he stood, holding the lantern near it to get a idea of what it was. Runes were scrawled across it. Not uniform, but with a scratched style that didn't seem to be consistent. Hiccup peered across the words. It wasn't a long message, but enough to make his blood run cold.  
"...' _Lose him. Or lose yourself_ '..." he read aloud. "What does that..." His head didn't want to process the idea at first from the effort, but he couldn't think anything else. He had been brought here by someone who had purposely gotten rid of anything he could use to find his way in these caves. They had given him a lantern in an act of pity to let him try and then threatened that he would lose his other half if he didn't comply. Hiccup scowled harshly as his fists threatened to scrunch the note into a ball.  
" _No-one_ threatens Toothless that way. _No-one_."  
With determination brimming in his chest to beat whoever had trapped him here at their own game, Hiccup began to walk into the caves. He didn't care whether it was Drago, Viggo somehow or any other maniac. He would escape with Toothless. He had to.

Hiccup wasn't sure how long he was walking for. The tunnel he had started out in hadn't changed much in size or direction since he started his journey, the lantern having at least held steady in brightness to give him some indication of movement. But part of his gut was telling him that he was either walking in circles or just in the longest cave in history. The only change he'd really seen were the occasional stalagmites to avoid and a strange abundance of weird mushrooms on the ground he'd not seen on any other island in the Archipelago. He grimaced and held onto his head as another wave of pain pulsed through it. He must've hit that rock pretty hard, enough to make him worry about whether he had a concussion. The Viking exhaled forcefully and kept walking, his prosthetic making ringing metallic noises with each step against the rock he took.  
"Come on, keep going, gotta find Toothless..." he mumbled to himself. He couldn't imagine to begin the state his dragon was in right now. That wing had been pretty nastily hit and the thought of his best friend being in such pain would never sit right with him. He began to quicken his pace as that concern converted itself into adrenaline to force himself forward, his possible concussion and headache being far removed from his mind. He had to find Toothless, he had to. Damn whoever wrote that message, no one would be lost today.

* * *

After what felt like another twenty minutes of walking but could have been as little as five, Hiccup came to a crossroads. The cave had suddenly split in two. A 50/50 chance of choosing the right way to freedom and/or his dragon. Given how he had a slight preference for the left given past events, Hiccup was close to choosing that pathway to go down, his prosthetic having already taken a step towards it when a sound suddenly made him jump. It was like a howl, piercing into his skull and reminding him of the headache that still throbbed beneath the skin he had been choosing to ignore. He paused, exhaling shakily. It wasn't coming towards him. It sounded far off, as though it was trying to grab his attention. He opened his mouth to call out to it before the howl sounded out again. It warbled and cracked before fading into silence. It sounded hurt...  
It sounded like Toothless. And Hiccup's heart skipped a beat.  
"Bud! Toothless, is that you?"  
The howl came back, tugging at his chest and drawing him closer with another sad whine into his eardrums. Instinctively, Hiccup started running down the right hand path, the squeaking of the lantern being the only accompaniment to his heavy breathing and footsteps.  
"Toothless!" he yelled, trying to get the dragon's attention again but to no avail. He breathed in to shout again just as his foot suddenly slipped on something the ground. The Viking tumbled to floor, scraping the edges of his flying leathers as the lantern clattered falling from his hands. Thankfully having heard no smashing noises that would destroy his only light source, Hiccup pushed himself up on his hands to get back on track. And that was when he noticed what his hand was resting in. A pool of red, staining his fingers a dark shade. He gasped and jumped back in revulsion, staring at his palm for a moment. This... this wasn't Toothless' blood was it? He reached forward, grasping the lantern's handle in his hands and stretching it out in front of him. The blood wasn't just in a pool. It was a trail, leading off into the darkness in regular droplets like something had run down here. If it really was Toothless, Hiccup needed to be fast.  
"B-Bud, wait! Just stay where you are, I'm coming!" the rider called ahead, keeping the lantern held low enough to follow the trail of crimson and lead him to his friend.

Much to Hiccup's gratitude to whatever power was watching over him, he eventually escaped the tunnels into a wide open space. A chamber of sorts, with multiple ways in and out of it across its circular space. The young chieftain spun on the spot, shining his limited light on the walls to get an idea of what he was dealing with. Strange symbols of red were everywhere, symbols he didn't recognize as runes, letters or words. Whatever they were, they were plastered over each surface like they did have some sort of meaning. More of the strange plant life from before lay nestled in corners to each entrance way to the chamber and Hiccup had no idea what to make of it. Were people in this space before and then abandoned it? What did they use it for? He shook his head to try and focus. Toothless should've been in here, but he couldn't find any trace that his dragon ever was. It wasn't until his lantern shone against the blood trail again that he remembered to follow it to its source. He stepped carefully to the center of the room and eventually found it. Unfortunately, it didn't belong to Toothless.  
Laid before him on some sort of rock slab was a man. He seemed middle aged, missing a shirt and only possessing a pair of tattered trousers as attire. His form looked emaciated, nearly skeletal as though he hadn't eaten in weeks. The blood trailed over the edge of the slab where the stranger's wrists were bound with fabric under his back, pouring down from it profusely. As Hiccup scanned over the man's body with the lantern, he felt repulsed by what he saw. Lacerations, markings, brands, all sorts of horrific injuries coated the surface of the skin, some of them fresh enough to have smeared trails of red to join the pooling blood at the base of the slab. It was horrific, forcing Hiccup to liken it to some sort of sacrifice. He couldn't stand idly by and let this happen.  
"H-Hey... hey, can you hear me?" he asked, hesitantly moving his fingers towards the bindings to try and loosen them. "I'm g-gonna get you out of there, so..."  
Before Hiccup could even come close to touching him, the man screamed, arching his back and writhing around on the slab as through he didn't have the energy to move his legs and set himself free. The cry of agony died down just as he man stared at the Viking youth. His eyes were wide, a thin smile strangely sliding across his lips as Hiccup saw traces of blood oozing from the spaces between his teeth.  
"Ohhh...ohh ho ho ho..." the stranger murmured. "...they brought you in too, did they?"  
"Brought me in? A-Are you alright...?" Hiccup responded, trying to understand the situation. No normal men would look so happy at being in such a state.  
"Never. You're never alright. Not in here." Hiccup could tell the man was a little delusional, unsurprising given what he was like. He thought it best to try and steer the topic towards escaping this place. Maybe they could help each other.  
"Listen, I'm going to try to-"  
"NO!" the man interrupted, leaning upwards to stare Hiccup in the eye despite the lack of use for his arms. "You need to save yourself from this place, boy. Before you start to see too." Hiccup frowned, trying to act as though he wasn't unnerved by this unknown.  
"See...? See what?"  
"This place... it knows you," the man whispered. "It knew me. Showed me things no one else could show me. Things no one even _knew_ about." Hiccup's hands were tensed as they held onto the lantern with a fierceness he rarely showed. This made him feel legitimately afraid. The man laid his head back down with an almost content sigh. Like he was at peace.  
"You're not making sense..." Hiccup eventually said. The stranger didn't pay any attention as he suddenly let out a cackle, a laugh that reeked of madness.  
"I tried to escape it too, you know. But these walls, they don't forget. Even if you try to show them how much you regret, how much you're willing to sacrifice... they won't let you forget." Hiccup gasped as the connection in his head was made.  
"You... you did this to yourself?" he exhaled, his gut feeling like it was being grabbed and twisted into knots. The stranger twitched once, raising his head up to stare Hiccup in the eye. That wild-eyed expression was piercing right into his very soul from its intensity.  
"Escape. You either let them go, or you lose yourself."

Before Hiccup could ask any questions, the stranger slammed his head back down into the rock slab. Hard. Hiccup yelled in shock as a wet splattering noise hit the ground, jumping backwards as the man did it again. And again. And again. The impact of skull cracking and splintering against the surface of the slab to which he was bound pierced the quiet of the chamber. Hiccup could only stare in horror as the man slammed down over and over, painting the ground red with his blood. Until the very last horrible hit when his skull finally gave out and was pierced by a protruding edge. A sickening exhale of the stranger's last breath was the only sound left to echo in the empty space as silence once again hung in the air. Hiccup felt sick. He span on the spot, leaning against the wall behind him as he suddenly vomited onto the floor. His back heaved, the memory of that gruesome sight burning into his eyes like a brand. Maybe to the stranger it was preferable to being stuck down here. He coughed, spluttered and spat to clear his mouth of the taste.  
"Oh, great Odin's ghost..." he muttered, leaning against the wall with his arms braced along his head. "What would possess someone to do that to themselves...?"  
Hiccup's mind span wild with possibilities. Maybe Drago had just found a new way to torture those who disagreed with him. Maybe he'd found an ideal spot for people to be sent and be driven mad by the isolation. But Drago wasn't capable of this. Breaking people and dragons were definitely his thing, there was no denying that. But straight up mental torture? Too cerebral, not enough brute force involved to be satisfying enough for a man called Bludvist. But if it wasn't Drago logically, then who else could it be? And again, the burning question resounded in Hiccup's skull like the man's screams. Why had he been brought here?

He cursed, slamming a fist into the wall. He should never have persuaded Toothless to come with him out here. Thanks to him, the dragon was injured, alone and probably terrified by what had happened. And that was even if he had survived the fall thanks to those explosions at the Syfon Rocks. That idea made him feel like he wanted to throw up all over again.  
Toothless couldn't be gone. He'd _heard_ him in here, he _was_ in these caves somewhere. But where? And the man had said that something else knew about it. It knew they were in here. Either people or some other entity, he couldn't say, but some other danger here and Hiccup had no idea what to do to combat it. The only thing he could do was keep going. He was going to find his dragon, he was going to keep his best friend safe as he should.

It was all Hiccup could think. Just as the note said. He'd either lose Toothless... or lose himself trying not to.


	2. Abstraction

**How To Train Your Dragon:** **Perturbation  
** **Chapter 2: Abstraction**

* * *

The only sensation Toothless could feel as he stirred from the void of unconsciousness was pain. Agonizing, sharp and stabbing, like the ends of his nerves had been set on fire in all of his limbs. His claws twitched as his body came back to life, clasping at the surface he was resting against to try and rouse himself back to the land of the living. He grimaced, his sense of balance failing him as he tried to get onto his feet. Each attempt slipped, the dizziness almost being too much for him to compensate as his ear plates twitched about in some vain attempt to help. After a few more seconds, Toothless slowly raised himself up from being sprawled on the floor. He whined, bearing his teeth with a light shake of his head. He remembered... fire. Lots of rock. He was flying and then he was falling... most of the sequence of events of was jumbled in his head, like something had taken the thoughts and blended them together. Cautiously, his big emerald eyes slid open, blinking a few times to adjust to his new environment. Wherever he was, it was very dimly lit and certainly wasn't the ocean. Definitely dry land, definitely rock. So that at least confirmed to him he hadn't drowned. In a way, it reminded him a little of when Valka's Seashockers had dragged him to the Sanctuary interior, the immediate panic of being swept under replaced by relief that he was brought to his Hiccup. But there weren't other dragons this time, neither was there anyone else. Instead, Toothless found himself alone in a place that was far from a sanctuary, surrounded by walls of rock. He could lightly sense the imposing pressure around him, showing he was rather deep underground. A handful of torches were fixed to the walls around him, dimly lit with the only light crackles of flame against the burning wood to accompany the dead atmosphere of this place. They looked like they had been burning for quite a long time, the one off to the dragon's left looking ready to extinguish itself. If there were torches, that must've meant there were humans. Was this a prison? Or something else? A passageway of stone went off into the distance, mostly obscured by a veil of darkness that even his eyes couldn't penetrate. Some sort of cave system perhaps. How on earth had he gotten here?

 _'What...? Where am... pain...hurt...'_

The Night Fury's black scale shimmered from the dull light as he groaned, reaffirming the position of his feet with as strong a grip as he could muster on the rock. Given his lack of energy from that nasty fall out near the Syfon Rocks, it was a fraction of what it used to be. Almost instantly as he took a step forward, Toothless stumbled with a pained whimper, slipping back down onto the ground. He had tried to expand his wings and clear them from the floor, having nearly ignored the serious injury he had sustained from the explosion. He whined as he dared himself to look. It wasn't pretty. The membranes of his right wing had burn holes and scorch marks, all along the outer edge, cauterized and black. The thick arch that made the 'backbone' of the wing looked like it had broken at a strange angle from that boulder impact, the surrounding tissue bloody and bruised. The wing hung loosely at his side, dragging on the floor as he had moved. Fire had never come closer to hurting him like this before... something was very wrong. Toothless strained to pull the wing towards himself, not expecting the pain to have been this severe. He cried out as the wing moved, a disgusting sound of broken pieces shifting against each other and the muscle echoing against the walls of the cave. It took at least a full minute of trying, but he eventually managed to rest the injured part against the foot pedal on that side and let out a sigh of relief that the agonizing movement was over. As long as it stayed there, he'd be OK. Doing that suddenly reminded him that the one who usually used those pedals wasn't with him.

 _'Hiccup...? Hiccup, where are you?'_

Toothless' worried crooning bounced off the stone walls into the void like a sonar ping. He got no answer except for his own voice echoing back at him. He tried again, crying out loud enough to make the walls vibrate. He still got nothing back. The Night Fury's expression soured as a panic started to settle into his chest. He should've been quicker to get out of the way, kept a hold of Hiccup as they had started to fall. Who knew where his human was now? What if he had been captured and placed down here too? Toothless' worry began to twist into frustration. And then eventually anger. If someone had done this to them on purpose, hurt his Hiccup on purpose or worse... he'd kill them himself. No-one did that to his rider. No-one. The dragon huffed as he started to move towards the darkness on quaking limbs, opening his jaws and letting a gentle flame burn at the back of his throat. Even with his good night vision, pitch blackness was something he couldn't deal with. It'd be a handy torch, as much as it gave the caves a rather off-putting purple hue.

He needed to get out of here. Wherever here was.

* * *

Toothless wasn't sure how long he was walking for. It was hard to see with his mouth being the only source of light to prove he was going anywhere. He'd managed to keep his wing free of any obstacles, the only things to avoid being the pointy parts from the ceiling and floor sometimes. Hiccup had a long name for them, but he couldn't remember what it was. Hiccup always did have an idea for everything... all the more reason to find him as soon as possible so they could figure out why they were here. As the dragon forced his tired body to walk, he'd noticed an abundance of strange mushrooms around the cave floors, a sign that at least something was alive down in these depths. He still couldn't figure out why he was here though. Had someone found them and placed them in these caves? And for what purpose? Did they set up that explosion at the Syfon Rocks to trap them here or was it simply a happy accident? It was an odd phrase to use. Nothing about this said 'happy' to the dragon. Toothless would've guessed Drago was behind this at first. That vile man, the self proclaimed ego maniacal Dragon God... thinking about how that monster would revel in a victory of taking them both down made Toothless' blood boil with a vicious growl. But something about the situation didn't fit. The Night Fury knew Drago's methods well, too well. He'd had first hand experience with it as much as he didn't like to think about it. This didn't seem like his way of working at all. How could you control your enemies if you simply forced them underground? It wasn't Drago. But the dragon couldn't fathom as to who else would do this to him and his Hiccup.

And that was when Toothless' nose picked up on a scent, overriding the dampness and the strange sensation of those mushrooms. He brought his snout close to the ground, his nostrils trailing along it like a dog trying to pick up on a trail. A few seconds later, he found the source, pulling his head back in shock when he nose touched something wet. He rubbed one of his claws against his head, trying to clean it off as he tried to think what it was. It felt too thick to be water and it certainly didn't smell clean like it either, the aroma almost salty and metallic. As the dragon re-energized his flame to get a better look in the darkness, he realized what it was. Even with the odd coloration thanks to his fire, Toothless knew this substance was blood. And not just any kind of blood. The smell was distinctively human blood. As the Night Fury's eyes locked onto the shimmering pool on the ground and realized it led off into the blackness like a trail of breadcrumbs, he whined, his ear plates pressing into his head in distress. It couldn't be... not _his_ blood, could it? Hiccup had taken a rather nasty hit to his head after all. What if he was in trouble?

 _'Hiccup! Hiccup, please answer me!'_

Toothless' howl went unanswered. The silence only added to his paranoia. Immediately, the dragon decided to follow his nose. If he wasn't quick enough... well, he didn't want to think about that prospect. He ran as fast as his legs would carry his wounded body, using his in built agility to dodge and weave between the deformation of the cave walls. The blood smell was only getting stronger, meaning he was drawing closer to the source of it. He partially didn't it to be Hiccup. If it wasn't him, it would mean that he wasn't hurt enough to wander through this labyrinth in desperation for help. But at the same time, he wanted it to be Hiccup so badly so that they could finally be reunited and escape together. He pushed the conflicting emotions back down inside himself. Had to concentrate. Had to find him.

Toothless felt relief course through him when he noticed the tunnel walls open up, leading him into a much larger space. Most of it was in darkness thanks to that, the makeshift torch of his fire becoming pretty useless as it had nothing to reflect off except the ground. The dragon took cautious steps forward, his stance low and ready to move even despite his injury. He rumbled to himself, almost like a subconscious effort to warn off anything that could've been sneaking up on him. He'd been so preoccupied with being cautious that he'd almost managed to block out the scent until now. And then it hit him. The Night Fury screwed his eyes shut and hunched down into a sitting position with a repulsed noise, clasping his claws over the top and front of his head. It was disgusting, overpowering, that tangy metallic scent of rot hanging in the air like a ghost. Its pungent nature burned the insides of his snout, making it seem like there would be bodies or at least something organic to cause it. But he couldn't see anything that would, the walls and floor as barren as the tunnel he was just in. As quick as he could manage to stop himself inhaling that foul smell again, Toothless let his flame go, allowing it to fire upwards to give an idea of how big this chamber actually was. The purple sphere of burning matter sailed on upwards, becoming smaller and smaller until it finally impacted against a roof many many meters above him. It made it sink in as to how deep underground he actually was. He suddenly felt very small. And very alone. His thoughts turned back to Hiccup. Was his rider trapped like this too? Or was he somewhere else and safe? The idea Hiccup could be in pain and alone chilled him. That uncertainty was much worse than any smell. With a rumble of unease, Toothless' jaws parted again to conjure his flame and light his path. He backtracked his steps for a moment to find a wall, thinking it would be better to stay against something solid rather than wander the darkness into unknown dangers. With his wing like this, he couldn't afford to fall into anything. He kept his gaze on the ground, watching for any signs of change or a new path to take. Until the voice said his name.

"Toothless? Is that you?"  
Hearing someone speak his name almost gave the dragon a hint of feeling elation. Almost. Someone he knew was here and had found him, but... the voice wasn't Hiccup's. Much too rough, much too loud. Toothless recognized it all the same and it made the darkness and rotting smell and being trapped down here the least of his worries. Toothless' head slowly turned towards the source, his eyes turning wide and fearful. He didn't want to believe what he was seeing. It was impossible and yet still stood before him despite everything in his being screaming at him to move away from it. A few meters away was a man. A towering imposing man with a bulk almost as wide as he was tall. A torch was clasped in one of his hands, illuminating his face and front like he were a lost explorer of these caves too. A cape of fur hung over his shoulders, nearly long enough to touch the ground. His gigantic arms wore a pair of bracers with spikes on them, giving them a distinctive silhouette. A darkly colored tunic with a thick belt to hold it in place nearly obscured his equally girthy legs. Even if the clothing wasn't a tell tale give away, that mess of a braided beard, the ridiculously proportioned horns on that helmet, and those tired battle-worn eyes... that would be.

 _'...no, you're... you can't be...'_

Stoick stared back at Toothless. Unmoving, unflinching. His gaze was harsh, the lines on his face accentuated by the flickering light of his torch. It was like he was looking right into the very core of the dragon's soul, the Night Fury backing up against the wall with a fumbling of his claws slipping against the ground. He'd never seen the former chieftain look so angry before. He never thought he'd even see him again. And then he saw the blood, the source of that scent of decay. The pouring of red soaking the ground with a faint dripping from a wound in Stoick's stomach. It bled profusely, like it was still fresh. Right where he'd been struck that day. The Viking didn't even seem to be bothered it was there, eventually looking upon Toothless' back and the saddle without a word. His brow lowered. His mouth opened to speak.  
"Where's Hiccup?"  
Toothless couldn't answer him even if he was capable of human speech. This wasn't possible. This wasn't real. He'd seen Stoick pass on. He'd... done it himself. How could he be here? How was he still alive? The dragon whimpered, trying to think of what to do before Stoick repeated his question with a firmer voice.  
"Where. Is. Hiccup."

 _'Hiccup f-father, I... I don't know what..'_

Stoick exhaled hard, the flame of his torch threatening to go out from the ferocity. His free hand moved behind him and tugged. A ring of metal echoed into Toothless' ears as an axe was brought forth from behind the cape, the surface worn but still enough to shine in his eyes. Stoick took a step forward, the axe held tightly in his hand with a grip strong enough to break the handle.  
"You lost him...? No... you wouldn't..."

 _'N-No, I didn't lose...'_

"Bad enough you had to make him lose a leg. Bad enough you had to kill me too. But now you kill my only son? Insult to injury?!" the chief roared, his voice bouncing round the walls like it was coming from everywhere at once. Toothless' claws slipped on the ground as he hunched down in a panic, trying to cover his ears with a whimper the closer Stoick got. He didn't know what was going on, the words resonating in his head like the after effects of an explosion. This wasn't real, it _couldn't_ be real.

 _'I didn't, I-I swear I didn't! Hiccup said it w-wasn't my fault!'_

"I knew you were a devil! Ever since you first appeared!" Stoick yelled, advancing at a quicker pace now as the axe started to raise up above his head. "It's all your fault! You broke our family apart! YOU!"

 _'No! No, no, please! I'm sorry!''_

"You think you would ever get away with what you did, dragon?!" the Viking hissed, twirling the axe in his hand as his other threw the torch at his feet. "This ends _now_!" Now Toothless could only see a black outline of the advancing attacker, the features of his face now obscured by the blackness surrounding them both. As the dragon stared in terror, he felt moisture drip onto his snout. The smell proved it was blood from that wound, shocking him as to how close Stoick actually was. He should've done something. Pushed the should-be-dead man away, escape. But Toothless' body wouldn't work. He was frozen, terrified that if he did, history would repeat itself and he'd kill Hiccup's father all over again. That hesitation was the opportunity Stoick was waiting for. The Night Fury saw the axe shine. He heard Stoick scream in effort as it began to swing down with an unstoppable force. Toothless howled in distress, bracing himself for what could probably be a death that would not be clean. Or quick.

 _'NO!'_

And in an instant, it was over. The light from that torch vanished like someone had snuffed it out. Toothless was left in darkness, trembling and cowering on the ground like a pathetic hatchling. It took him a few moments to realize that... nothing had happened. He had felt no impact, no pain, no blood from any open wounds. The dragon exhaled, uncurling himself and bravely opening his eyes. The cave was dark once again, blacker than anything. He dared a conjuring of flame, casting a dim purple glow in front of him. Stoick was gone. There was no sign he was ever there. Not even the blood smell that hung in the air only a few moments ago. It was all gone. The Night Fury blinked, trying to get rid of moisture that clung behind his eyelids. As confused as he was, that primal fear for one's own life had paralyzed him. He couldn't remember the last time he felt this scared. Not since that day Hiccup found him in the woods.

His thoughts turned back to his rider. What if Stoick was right? What if Hiccup was dead because of him...? The dragon whined, almost too afraid to try and press on in these caves. There wasn't a way that was real. Stoick was dead. Burned. In Valhalla. Whatever that was couldn't have been him. But he'd felt the blood. He'd felt the heat of the torch as it fell, he'd felt the rush of air from that downward swing of the axe. It _couldn't_ be real and yet it felt as real as the floor he laid on.

What in the sky's name was down here? The spirits of the dead? Something even more malicious? Toothless didn't want to find out. He didn't want to venture further inside. Who knew what else was waiting for him? But if he didn't, then what chance would he have of finding Hiccup? What chance would he have of making it out of here alive?

 _'Hiccup... where are you...?'_

* * *

Astrid had planned her day to start like any other. She'd managed to afford a rare lie in thanks to the Dragon Riders having their customary day off from training. As much as she always felt restless without anything to do, even she had to admit that the week had been an exceptionally long one with all the new recruits coming of age and needing their guidance. With Hiccup doing his chiefly duties, she had been almost left in charge of the Academy by herself. Better that than leave the twins or Snotlout in charge. Today, however, she needn't worry about the them interrupting the training with their delusions of grandeur or trying to one up each other. She was getting tired of being strict anyway. Astrid stretched her arms upwards from her bed with a less than graceful yawn, her normally braided hair loose and flowing over her shoulders with the odd lock at an equally odd angle. She shook herself awake, her fringe falling in front of her face and obscuring her vision for a moment. Just enough to hide the sight of her approaching dragon stomping her way over.  
"H-Hey, Stormfly, I'm up, I'm up!" Astrid protested with a laugh, the Deadly Nadder brushing at her rider with her snout and an enthusiastic crackly growl. The Viking reached up a hand to rub over her dragon's head, sliding her body to the side of her bed and pushing herself to her feet. Time to get started.

Twenty minutes passed and Astrid had just about finished her morning routine. Braided hair, something to eat, the warmest clothes she could pack and she was now just finishing adjusting her hood. Stormfly had observed her every movement, occasionally interjecting with a nudge or a noise to steer her rider in the right direction. Lie in Astrid was always a little bit slower at getting alert than regular Astrid. Just a little quirk of her human that she found a little amusing. With a well rested positivity in her stride, the Viking woman stepped out of the front door to her house and glanced around the village center. Just like any other day. Gobber's workshop full of noise, families out walking and flying their dragons, bustles of traders heading to the docks to guarantee their supplies were not running low. Even the sun was gracing them with its presence, barely a cloud in sight for miles around. Granted, that wouldn't guarantee it was warm since the chill coming from the sea was always there, but she knew these conditions could change at any moment and would enjoy it while it lasted. Astrid peered up at the sky, using one of her hands to shield her vision from the glare of the sun. She was trying to spot any kind of shape, the noticeable black outline of a particular Night Fury doing some sort of daring maneuver. It would be typical of Hiccup to be a bit of a showoff at a time where most of the village would be able to see him. But she saw no such thing in the skies of Berk this morning. While a little puzzling, she wasn't immediately concerned. Toothless could move so fast sometimes, it was no wonder she couldn't spot him occasionally. She and Stormfly would beat them anyway if the Races were an indication. Stormfly herself looked up with one eye before focusing back her rider with a curious warble. Astrid smiled, patting her dragon around the jaw.  
"Oh, it's nothing, girl," she insisted. "Come on, let's get our own morning flight done, eh?"

Astrid and Stormfly's own flight was uneventful but well needed, the crisp air of the morning wind more than enough to shake the pair of them awake. They landed just on the outskirts of the Arena, thankful that it wasn't filled with the other Riders and recruits having to duck and cover from Ruffnut and Tuffnut's experiments with the gas explosions again. Astrid sometimes had to feel sorry for Barf and Belch being stuck with those two, but what could you do? As Stormfly's claws pressed into the ground and settled her wings to her side, Astrid slid off the saddle with a stretch and nod of a job well done.  
"Good job, girl. Keep that up and we'll be running rings around the boys at the next Races," she concluded with a sly smile. The Deadly Nadder rumbled in a 'snicker' to agree, bobbing her head up and down. As Astrid adjusted the saddle to loosen it a little from her dragon's wings, she heard the beating of much heavier wings above her. She raised her head to look, seeing a familiar four winged silhouette blocking out the sun. Cloudjumper beat down firmly, gusting up the air beneath his bulk and forcing Astrid to shield her eyes as he landed. The Stormcutter bowed his head in a greeting towards both dragon and rider, tucking his wings in against himself as Valka slid to the ground from her standing position on his back. She brushed her fingers under Cloudjumper's chin, the beast vibrating at her touch. Astrid bowed too, almost like the group was all imitating each other.  
"Morning, Valka!"  
"Morning, Astrid," Valka greeted her, taking a moment to properly say hello to Stormfly with another gentle rolling movement of her hand. Astrid could see how Hiccup got his talents from her, still unable to figure out how she was able to turn dragons into putty in her hand. Well, apart from the twenty years of practice. "Good flight, I take it? Stormfly's wings are looking mighty strong."  
"Her times are only getting faster. Give us a few more laps and we'll be able to trounce even a Night Fury."  
"I'll have to keep an eye on that," Valka chuckled. Her smile faded a little too suddenly to seem natural, however, causing Astrid's expression to frown in response.  
"Is something the matter?" she asked. It wasn't often Valka looked worried about anything.  
"Oh, no, just... just the parental worries I thought I'd have gotten used to by now," the former Dragon Thief replied. "I just thought I'd see if he was with you."  
"You mean Hiccup? I haven't seen him all morning. I think he must be still out flying. Though this is pretty late for him."  
"I see..." Astrid didn't seem convinced, taking a step towards her potential mother-in-law with a raised eyebrow.  
"Why would you think he's with me?" she inquired. Valka didn't answer straight away. Cloudjumper crooned in sympathy, leaning his head down towards her to be a source of comfort if necessary. He hated seeing her upset.  
"Hiccup wasn't at the house when I woke up, neither was Toothless. I know it's like him to go off early so he can fly with Toothless, but it's been hours since then. He's usually back by now."  
"I'm sure he's just lost track of time," Astrid reasoned, holding onto Valka's hand with both of her own. "You know he's been working really hard at the chief stuff lately. Being late to just one day won't hurt, right?"  
"I suppose you have a point," Valka agreed with a smile, squeezing back with a light roll of her shoulders. "Guess I'm just being a worry wart. He's still a babe in my eyes."  
"Don't worry. If he really is going to be out this late, both of us will set him straight," Astrid smiled with a nudge of her arm in solidarity. Valka smirked and seemed to take on an equally mischievous grin.  
"Nothing like a bit of girl power to see to stubborn Viking male brains, eh?"  
"Yes, ma'am."  
The elder woman nodded her head and eventually stepped back to Cloudjumper, the dragon lowering his head and neck to allow her to hop on board. She lowered her hands down, slowly raising them up in a gesture to make the Stormcutter ascend and Astrid could only watch in admiration as Valka sped off into the air with such grace and control. She'd be able to get that good one day, something to aspire to. However, the news that Hiccup hadn't been around for a few hours troubled her, making her memory think back to when she hadn't seen him in the sky with Toothless.

He'd show up eventually, right? He always did, even if he used to have a tendency to run away from stuff that bothered him. If he didn't, he'd have the hard edges of her knuckles to deal with.

* * *

The lantern had started to die a little as Hiccup continued to head as far away as possible from the gruesome scenes he had just witnessed. He didn't want to stick around to find out what would cause a man to prefer his own end than stay down here. That didn't stop his mind from mulling the subject over though. He had seen no signs of a dragon species or person or anything that would maliciously do something to cause that. So what had that man meant?  
 _'He said these caves knew him...'_ Hiccup thought, stepping forward almost automatically since he didn't have any other option. _'What did he mean? Was he just crazy or is something actually in here?'_ Indeed, it was an interesting conundrum. For once, though, Hiccup's inquisitive quirks did not want to really know the answers. Sure, it could be interesting, help him learn more about the world like he had wanted to before this entire fool's errand took place. But something about what that man said, what he did... something told him to stay away. These secrets, the mysteries of these depths, were not for him to know.

Without any way of knowing how long he had been searching these tunnels for any sort of solution, Hiccup's legs were starting to give out. His brow dripped with sweat, matting his hair to the stains of blood that still clung to his skin. He could've sworn even his prosthetic was starting to ache from the numbing effort of forcing a tired body forward, especially when the occasional headache from that rock still rocked his temples. He started to second guess himself. Maybe he should've taken the left path back there. What if this place didn't have an exit? What if the note was just some sort of cruel joke for a captor to laugh at as their prey wandered these desolate passages without a hope? It would explain the man. A former prisoner who had just keep driven mad by the months, maybe years of being alone here. As much as the logical questions of how he'd survived this long cropped up, there was no evidence to suggest otherwise. Hiccup rolled his eyes and smacked his forehead with a free hand. Stupid Viking.  
"Of course you had to choose to break the rules today. Great job, Hiccup, you've probably killed us both..." he muttered to himself, almost feeling right at home with his self deprecation. "Nevermind what Mom and Astrid and everyone else is thinking, you just wanted to get away 'cause you were bored of the routine. Well, whoop-de-do, you really opened a barrel of eels on th-!"  
Hiccup froze mid sentence when his good foot touched something mid-stride. After having reached a wider section of tunnel, enough to house a few people at once, something hard and different from the rock pressed against his boot. He stopped and looked down, raising his foot off of the ground, recognizing the object immediately. It was his knife, the same one he usually kept on his sleeve to sharpen his drawing equipment for the map. He knelt and picked it up, brushing the small particles of dusty rock off the blade against his chest. Well, it seemed whole and intact, if a little dirty. So that was something. But the note was that laying there too only solidified a mounting theory in the young Viking's head. Someone had deliberately put this here. This entire situation was engineered.  
But who? _Who_?  
Hiccup stored the knife away behind the leather compartment on his bracer, securing it with the straps before focusing his attention on the note. Again, the inconsistent handwriting from before was scrawled across the surface.  
" 'Use it wisely. Regret is eternal'," Hiccup read aloud. He didn't seem impressed. "These guys are trying way too hard to be intimidating." He scrunched the note up in his hand and shoved it with the other one in his pocket. He wouldn't be off put by their attempts. All he needed to do was find Toothless. At least that was the plan until he got jumped.

A piercing scream from behind him deafened his ears just as a weight suddenly slammed into his back. Hiccup yelped in surprised as he barely had time to brace himself against the ground. As he made contact, he was suddenly whipped around onto his back by a pair of hands around his shoulders. Hiccup immediately raised his hands and clung to the attacker's wrists, trying to fight off his assailant with a shout of effort.  
"Give me it! GIVE ME IT!"  
A figure was on top of him, trying to wrestle against his hands and grab at his head. The man looked almost skeletal, the skin having sunk in so far against his bone that Hiccup was sure he could see the outline of his eye sockets through it. It was only then that he realized it was translucent, a mess of veins and muscle nearly visible in the dim glow of his lantern. Hands with nails that resembled claws twitched and grabbed with ferocious strength, his hair long and unkempt and stained wet from what Hiccup hoped was sweat. The eyes were the most disturbing thing, wide and shining a bright white in comparison to his skin as his teeth gnashed and he rambled incoherently. Whoever he was, the man had been here way longer than the other from before. Too long. Hiccup had to use all of his might to force the stranger away, gritting his teeth so hard he was almost afraid he'd crack them from the pressure.  
"G-Get off me!" he grunted. "Get OFF!"  
"They made me lose mine, now you lose yours, they made me lose mine, now you lose YOURS!" The figure kept shrieking the same words over and over again like he couldn't stop, his arms eventually pushing down against Hiccup's hands hard enough to allow his own hands to grasp at the chief's head. They clawed and bore down against the back of Hiccup's skull, right where his head injury was still tender. Hiccup screamed, agony stabbing its way through his brain as he felt fresh blood ooze through his hair from the pressure around the wound. The disturbed seemed to like it.  
"Yes, yes, YES! MINE!"  
The stranger's intention was clear and Hiccup couldn't allow him to succeed. He relaxed his arms for a moment, whining in pain as he used the distraction of the man's intention to pull out the knife from his sleeve with his left hand.  
"D-Don't make me do this, please!"  
The note had told him to use it wisely, but he would never consider this. He couldn't do it. He had always sworn to never raise a weapon like this except in defense. And that's precisely what this was. But was he prepared? Did he really have it in him to betray his pacifism to save himself? He didn't feel like he had a choice. As much as he hated the idea he would have to do this, Hiccup had to go against what he believed about violence if he wanted to survive. If he wanted Toothless to survive.  
"Get OFF ME!"  
With that cry, Hiccup swung the knife in from the side, colliding with the man's torso and sliding the weapon in without resistance. Even as red burst from the inflicted area, the man didn't stop, his grip onto seeming to get harsher and harder with each passing second.  
"Stop! Stop!" Hiccup yelled in distress, having to take another stab. Still nothing. Another. Nothing. Another. Nothing.  
 _Another_. Nothing.  
He could feel the blood coating his hands, the warmth of the expulsion enough to make him feel sick all over again. With a final yell, Hiccup screwed his eyes shut, knowing that he had to end this before the stranger ending up caving his head in from his shocking strength. His left arm swung, higher this time as he didn't dare look at what it would hit. A sickening wet sound pierced the air, a spray of red suddenly dousing Hiccup's front as he held the knife there. Hot air wafted over his fingertips as the stranger's breath suddenly gave out. The mania ceased, the fierce grip on his head gave out as he felt the body on top of him start to sway.

And that was when he heard a whimper. Not from the man. Not from any human. It was a sound that made Hiccup's heart feel like it was going to collapse in on itself. His eyes flew open in shock, his trembling hands still clinging to the knife. Buried right in Toothless' neck.

The dragon's eyes were staring at him. Pupils narrow, wide, wet. His mouth hung open, not even the slightest movement of air to be felt. His ear plates had gone limp, splattered with the blood from the wounds that his rider had inflicted on him with such vitriol. That expression staring at him, one of ultimate betrayal and devastation. It stabbed at his core.

 _'...why...?'_

Hiccup's tears poured from his eyes as he lost the capacity to speak. The capacity to think. The capacity to breathe. It was impossible. He couldn't question why the man was no longer there. He couldn't think as to why he had seen him and not the dragon. All he could fathom was that he had probably killed his best friend. Toothless choked, blood running over his lower jaw with a sway of his body before it suddenly fell to the side, slipping away from the knife and setting it free as he collapsed with a horrifying thud. His gaze stared off into the distance as his form convulsed, the gushes of blood spurting to the ground with each twitch now the blade was no longer there to hold it in. Hiccup's body surged with energy as he flung himself at his dragon's side, hands pressing down on his other half's neck in desperation.  
"NO! NO, TOOTHLESS, NO!"  
The Night Fury could only croak back, the energy seeming to leave his body as each pulse of blood splashed onto Hiccup's palms, staining them crimson. Hiccup pressed down as hard as he could manage to stop the bleeding, shaking his head and screaming in utter horror.  
"No, I didn't do it! It wasn't him! IT WASN'T! I'm sorry!" he cried, screwing his eyes shut as he felt the very essence of his dragon's life start to ebb away at his finger tips. "Stop it! Stop it! STOP!" Hiccup screamed an incoherent sound loud enough to rattle the walls as he felt the blood flow start to weaken. It was less frequent, less powerful. Its heat had faded, turning colder as though its source was gone. Like Toothless was gone.  
"TOOTHLESS!"

No.  
It wasn't real.  
It _wasn't_ real.  
Toothless wasn't dead.  
He _wasn't_.  
He _couldn'_ t be.

Hiccup didn't want to open his eyes. He didn't want to contemplate what he had just done. The moment he did, the moment he knew he was no better than his captors. No better than the thousands of Vikings who had murdered thousands of dragons throughout history. Ironic that he fulfilled his tribe's initial expectations of him in the worst way possible.

But Hiccup did open his eyes. And instead of witnessing the most horrible thing he would ever lay his eyes on, he didn't. He saw something else. Something that started to make him question his very grip on sanity.

"W...what...? No... that's..."


	3. Discomposure

**How To Train Your Dragon:** **Perturbation  
** **Chapter 3: Discomposure**

* * *

Just like Astrid had expected when she had woke that morning, the day had gone by just like any other. As the sun began to set on the village and darken the sky that surrounded them, the residents of Berk were either taking a last lap around the isle on their dragons or heading inside before the colder winds came. Average, regular, relatively relaxed. Typical of a day that fell in the months that Berk could loosely call 'summer'. The winds weren't as biting as normal, the snow wasn't as heavy as normal, the cold wasn't as... well, cold as normal. 'Summer' indeed. The only difference being that Hiccup was not there. In fact, he had not been seen at all. Not on his usual flight patterns, not at the Arena, not at the cove and certainly not at home. Despite how Astrid had been trying to enjoy her free time away from the bustle of training and the responsibilities that Hiccup had designated to her, the fact that her chieftain boyfriend hadn't shown his face all day had soured it all. Perhaps Valka did have a reason to worry like she had. Astrid was much more suspicious of the circumstances.

Right now, she was watching the main entrance to the dragon pen beneath the island with Stormfly by her side, the heavy wooden shutters starting to close and blot out the evening sun and suspend flights for the rest of the night. She had been here for a few hours, patiently waiting with her dragon in the hopes of maybe seeing Hiccup and Toothless fly in. She'd already rehearsed the response in her head, even prepared a chastising speech in her head about his irresponsibility. He'd come in, expecting he'd not been seen, Toothless would pick up on her and Stormfly instantly. She'd shout at him being so late at coming back, letting her worry about him being gone. Maybe even throw in a punch of two for old times sake. But the possibility of that imagining acting itself out seemed to be slipping further and further away from her as the minutes ticked by. Eventually, with a heavy thunk as they hit each other, the shutters closed. The Vikings and dragons left behind began to retreat and scatter to their designated places for the night, eventually leaving Astrid and Stormfly alone in the large chamber with only the muffled wind against the wooden frame for company.

Her plan had gone out the window. How were you supposed to tell someone off when they hadn't shown up at all to be told off? It began began to be replaced with other thoughts and questions as her expression turned as dark as her mood on this whole affair. Stormfly picked up on it easily, leaning her snout in to nuzzle against her rider's arm to be some show of some support. After all, she was worried too. Having Berk without Hiccup and Toothless around didn't seem natural. They were a staple and symbol of the village after everything that had happened over the past 5 years. Astrid wondered where all the time had gone and gave a brief smile, scratching around the spikes near the back of the Deadly Nadder's head.  
"Thanks, girl," she murmured. The young woman brushed a stray lock of hair out of the way, letting out a disappointed sigh as she said the last part to herself. "Where are you, Hiccup...?"

She didn't know where to start. She knew that her chief and partner wouldn't shy away on his duties like this. Not like before and certainly not after the business with Drago. If Hiccup and Toothless were missing in action, then she was sure it couldn't have been of their choosing or a plan of rebellion. Something had happened to them. The unknown of what it was put Astrid on edge. She screwed her hands into fists, threatening to tear through her arm warmers from her clawing action. She didn't realize how hard she was doing so until she could feel the outline of her nails starting to pierce the material. She couldn't just sit here, not if they were in trouble. Granted, her past attempts to do so had landed her in hot water before, but this was different. Without a menace in the form of Drago, the Dragon Trappers or Hunters, what threats could there be to stop her? Besides, she had to even the score eventually and save him for a change. She figured it would be nice motivation.

"Stormfly, we've waited long enough," Astrid piped up, alerting her dragon as she got to her feet. "Hiccup and Toothless wouldn't sit around if we were in trouble, so we can't do the same to them. Come on, they can't have gotten far in a day." Stormfly complied without hesitation, stretching out her wings and hopping around on her feet for a moment as if she were excited to get off the ground again. The Viking's mind worked furiously as she started to ready Stormfly's saddle for what could be a very short or very long flight. Impossible to say until Stormfly picked up the trail. Being a Deadly Nadder and a member of the Tracker Class, Astrid was sure that that her dragon would be able to pick up on some sort of marker and locate Hiccup and Toothless. But as to where the journey would take them and for how long, she had no idea. It felt a little odd to be as impulsive as her boyfriend about flying off. She decided to overcompensate and be prepared for any eventuality, making sure her usual riding supplies of extra food, clothes, and weapons were all securely fastened to the saddle. Hiccup had rolled his eyes at her for doing this in the past, his usual attitude of jumping head first into a situation and feeling invincible being on the back of a dragon seeming to clash with her more planned approaches. Astrid knew her way was better just from Hiccup's track record. Knowing him, he would've gotten himself stranded on an island surrounded by Changewings or angry Boneknappers or maybe even the Grimora. She nearly dared a smirk at the thought of his curiosity getting him in trouble again.

"Alright, girl, let's make this quick. If Valka finds out we're missing too, she'll kill us all when we get back!" Astrid hissed, guiding her dragon up the stairs from the 'hangar' and to the open air of Berk's topside. In a matter of moments, both of them had planted their feet near the edge of one of the island's cliffs, Astrid jumping up with surprising grace to land comfortably in the saddle. Stormfly lowered her body, her back end raised with her tail acting as balance as her legs stood ready to spring into action. Astrid rummaged around in the saddle bags for a moment, trying to find a particular item that would allow the Nadder to track their target. She fumbled around before pulling it out with both hands and a grunt of effort. A spare tail for Toothless. She always carried it with her whenever she went flying with Hiccup, just as a precaution in case machines and mechanics were less reliable than their dragons were. At this point, having it with her was just part of the routine, almost as important as having her trusty battle axe, also tucked away in the saddle bag. Astrid hoisted the fin up and over to bring it close to Stormfly's nose, allowing her to try and pick up on the scent of their missing chieftain and Night Fury.  
"Find 'em, Stormfly, go, go!"  
Stormfly complied with a crackly warble, the tension in her legs finally releasing and allowing her to jump upwards. With a beat of her wings and a streamlining of the spikes covering her form, the sapphire coloured dragon zoomed off the coast of Berk and into the unknown. Astrid held on tightly to the reins of the saddle, keeping her own body pressed down to make sure they would go as fast as possible.

"Better brace yourself, Hiccup, you're not getting away that easily..."

* * *

Hiccup stumbled backwards into the opposite wall, flinching from the impact as he slid down to sit against the now stained ground. He stared at his hands as sweat dripped from his forehead. Bloody. Trembling. The knife had since fallen to the floor, equally as stained with red. He wasn't sure what had happened. He couldn't even begin to guess. One moment, a lost soul had tried to physically pry his head open to get back some semblance of a mind from the possible years of isolation down here. The next, the Viking had found his hand pressed against Toothless' neck, plunging a blade through the scale and muscle and surely ending the life of his best friend. Watching his dragon howl in pain, seeing him slump over as his blood painted the stone floors. And now...

It was the man again. Instead of Toothless, it was him. The wounds across the maniac's body were exactly where Hiccup thought he had struck when he had been attacked. Multiple injuries right against his sides, in between the ribs and probably causing serious damage. The main source of the mess was from the stranger's neck, the hole under his jaw deep and still oozing the darkest shade of color and expanding the reach of the thick puddle threatening to stain Hiccup's shoes. The man was smiling. His face had been frozen in a laughing grimace, almost like he had been happy to be given some reprieve and freedom from this cavernous prison. The eyes stayed wide, burrowing into Hiccup's being. Hiccup didn't want to look, keeping his focus on his palms as if to avoid the accusing glare. But those eyes were still staring. He could feel them burning at him. His features scrunched up as his tried to be become lost in thought, any thought apart from the one that made him consider he had just taken his first life. It wasn't a pleasant thing to consider.

 _'I.. I had to choose,'_ he thought. _'He jumped me, pinned me down. He tried to tear open my head in his madness so I... I fought back. I had no choice, right? It was either him or me. No time to think. But... then why did Toothless...I don't understand.'_  
That question swirled around in Hiccup's brain like a vortex, giving him something to focus on. He'd heard Toothless' agonizing whine, he'd felt the hot breath escape through the wound on his neck. He'd felt the weight of the dragon's body on top of his, he'd felt the blood coat his palms as he desperately tried to save his friend's life. And then Toothless had vanished, like the entire thing was nought but a hallucination that never had a ground in reality.  
"...but I _felt_ him," Hiccup murmured aloud. "He was right there here, I could tell he was pressing down on me and then... then I... I killed him."  
Words left him as the memory came back. The memory of him cutting into Toothless' throat and the sense that he had betrayed a bond five years strong. It was like a bad dream. Usually Hiccup's dreams were too hazy to remember the details of. But the nightmares always stuck with him, always had done since the days of him being Berk's embarrassment. This was just like that. He could see every detail, every pained twitch of the Night Fury's facial muscles. No hallucination was ever that realistic. Something was different and very wrong. He was almost tempted to pinch himself to check he wasn't dreaming now.

Hiccup sniffed and rubbed his eyes, forcing his body to stand as he grabbed the lantern in one hand and the knife in the other. If there were more people like the two he had met down in these depths, he'd need to defend himself. The note attached to his blade had a point. And that could mean that killing could end up being more regular than he had ever wished it would be in his life. He sighed to himself, taking a final look down at the screaming man from before. He almost felt pity. It wasn't like this person had been in full control of their facilities after all.  
"For what it's worth... I'm sorry," Hiccup said simply to the body. "I hope the Valkyries treat you right up there." He exhaled, clearing his mind of what had just happened. No time for second guessing or doubt, no time to worry. He had to find Toothless, the real Toothless. Quickly.

* * *

It wasn't much longer before Hiccup found at least some of the answers he was looking for. Answers that were potentially revolutionary in revealing why he had been taken here. When he had first set off into this dungeon ever since reading that first note, it initially felt like he had been walking in circles. No features on any of the cave walls were distinct enough to make them stand out, save for the mushrooms still occasionally sprouting from the cracks in them. They all blended together in his memory, only adding to the ever growing feeling that this entire endeavor was fruitless and unending in this labyrinthine network of stone. if it wasn't for Toothless still needing him, Hiccup wasn't sure how long he would've held out before giving up. But then he saw them. They spurred him on.

He had only barely managed to catch sight of them moving down one of the forked paths he'd come across. A flash of red and shuffled footstep into the darkness. The brief glow of their own lanterns leaving a light based trail for him to follow. Actual people, people who hadn't gone insane. Possibly the perpetrators. Hiccup held his breath as he tread lightly, keeping against the walls and trying not to make any noise as he followed them. He could hear whispers, multiple ones at once, proving that they were in a group. For what purpose, he couldn't say. Hiccup scowled at them. He didn't want to push ahead far enough so that they would spot him. But his rage at them for forcing him to deal with such terrible sights down here was making it very hard not to do so, the urge to scream and leap at them from sealing him in this tomb nearly overpowering. He still held the knife in his hand, clutching at the handle hard enough to make his knuckles turn white. It was the only thing stopping him.

 _'No, stay calm,'_ he repeated to himself mentally. _'See what they're doing, find a way out. And then maybe you'll find Toothless.'_ Hiccup did just that, keeping an eye out for anything down the tunnel that would lead him to the group. The passage of time went unnoticed as he walked, the beating of his heart ringing in his ears as he tried his best to be stealthy. The more he followed, the better he got. He even managed to keep his prosthetic relatively quiet too, timing his footsteps to match the ones he heard of the strangers in front. It was just lucky there were enough of them to mask any mistakes. Eventually, the group came to a entrance, just like in that first chamber Hiccup had discovered himself. Spotting a notch in one of the cave walls that was thankfully big enough for a person, Hiccup rushed to it to hide and listen in, pressing his back against the stone and keeping both his lantern and knife close to his chest. It was a strangely nostalgic position to take. He remembered doing this exact same thing behind a rock when he first found Toothless. Felt like a lifetime ago after being here. He peered around the corner, watching with a lowered brow as he made out more details of the ones he was tracking.

There were at least 3 individuals, dressed head to toe in dark red robes and of varying heights. Hoods were slung over their heads, their bodies slightly turned towards Hiccup with their hissed and subdued tones to give him just a glimpse of what was underneath. They all wore masks, a chalk white color with black lines running from what he presumed were the eyes. Wavy lines that flowed over the cheeks of the masks before running over to the edges, like tears that had lost the concept of gravity. The masks had no mouths, no noses. Nothing but the eyes. Their voices, though muffled, were clear enough to show their personality. The tallest of the group was deep but nearly deliberately slow in his way of speaking. The shortest was shrill, ear piercingly loud on certain syllables. The one in the middle was controlled and calm, but with a hint he was trying to subdue something more furious. They all spoke like they were afraid of something hearing their conversation, a paranoid twitch about some of their body language. It made Hiccup feel uneasy to watch.

"How many more do we have? Are you sure it's enough?" asked the tallest one.  
"We found another back there, fresh. Looks like it became too much for him. Good thing he managed to make our job of draining easier!" replied the shortest.  
"Which leaves us with two," concluded the middle. "Soon to be done here."  
 _'Two?'_ Hiccup pondered. _'Does he mean me and Toothless...?'_ They'd hinted that there was more than just him and the Night Fury locked away. If Hiccup's guess that they were referring to their captives was correct, that meant the other people he had encountered down here had been taken, just like he had. The thought chilled him. Would he end up like that if he didn't escape? And what would it take to do that to him?  
"Let's be quick about it!" snapped the short one. "We have little time before the offering needs to be made and they're so difficult to track as it is!"  
"He has a point, brother," the tall's voice boomed. "Even if we know the caves like the back of our hand, we did only just enough to catch them out of the air by chance when we spotted them. You know how close it was."  
"I _know_ ," came the reply from the middle. He seemed annoyed for a brief moment before that control came back to his voice. "Have patience. Tonight, brothers, we'll be able to please it with what we have wrought. Either they'll go mad in the attempt to escape and end themselves. Or they'll go mad and end each other. Either way, it shall be enough to sate."

Hiccup shifted back into his hiding place. Please it? Sate it? What was... _it_? Was it the thing that first man had mentioned, the thing that knew you? Or was it another presence in the caves he hadn't considered?  
 _'So they_ did _trap us here. They trap anyone who comes to this island and lock them down here. But why?'_ Hiccup mentally smacked himself for being so careless. _'Gods. Even if it was just by accident, they managed to get us because I was stupid enough to get us too close. And now Toothless is down here as well, alone...'_ The chieftain paused, his head starting to work out a plan. He wouldn't be able to take these three head on in such a small space and get information that way. But he also knew he couldn't be stealthy forever, they would find him eventually if he didn't move from this spot. Perhaps if he tailed them for a bit longer at the very least, he'd be able to get more information about the strange terminology the masked individuals used. Offerings, the way they spoke about the people, this... 'it'. If he was lucky, maybe he'd even be able find his dragon.

It took a few more seconds of time before the masked figures started to move again. However, they didn't move like Hiccup had planned them to. Instead of heading into the larger chamber, they suddenly doubled back and turned to face him. Hiccup held his breath and backed against the notch as tightly as his thin frame would let him. He closed his eyes, covering the glow of his lantern with his torso as he heard footsteps pass by him. A few agonizing moments went by before he dared himself to look again. He was alone in the tunnel once more, the impact of feet against stone from the masked mysteries fading away into nothing but echoes that remained for a while longer, bouncing off the walls. Hiccup exhaled a sigh of relief that he had not been spotted and stepped back out into the passageway proper. He should have followed them. That's what he'd planned after all, possibly to find out how they got around so easily. But then a noise from the large space behind him caught his attention.

It sounded like a metal clunking against the ground, not too dissimilar to Hiccup's prosthetic. His heart beat quickened at the prospect of what it could be. Another mad man wanting to tear out his brain? Or was it a certain artificial tail fin?  
"...Toothless?" he hissed as he held up the lantern, trying to make sure he wasn't too loud in these reflective walls so that his captors would know he was here. He nearly sounded hopeful for a change. "Bud, are you in there? I-It's me, Hiccup, I'm here...!"  
Another hit of metal against the ground. Nothing that sounded remotely like the Night Fury. Hiccup clenched around the dagger hard again, taking a cautious step into the void of blackness. Deja vu. Last time, he'd seen someone kill themselves going into an unknown space like this. He prayed to Odin that whatever this was wouldn't be as gruesome. As he approached the center of the chamber, he paused, his hunched down stance relaxing a little.  
"Toothless..? Is that-"  
He didn't get a chance to finish.

* * *

Astrid and Stormfly flew fast, faster than they could ever remember attempting, even at the races. Even with the sun now having finally gone from view and the night having truly settled in over the ocean, it was not enough to deter her quest to find Hiccup and Toothless. At this speed, she even figured they could attempt to get this all done by the time the sun was up and no one back home would've been any the wiser. But logically she knew it was a big if to ask. Without any way of knowing what had happened to the duo until she found them, it was all guess work. Stormfly seemed to pick up on her rider's anxiety, narrowing her eyes as she tracked Toothless' scent even the amid the unstable winds that battered her wings.

From her memory of the map, Astrid could already tell where they were heading towards. The Syfon Rocks. A natural feature that Hiccup had gushed about the first time he retold the story of how his mother showed him all these new places on her additions to the chart. He'd never had the chance to go, not before Drago showed his face and motives. It made sense he would fly down this way, especially given how relatively close they were to Berk. It did add a sense of worry to her gut though. Astrid knew Hiccup too well. He would never be foolhardy enough to try any tricks or stunts near these rocks, not after going so long without the practice. At least that's what she would hope. The reality of the situation would be that Hiccup would do _exactly_ that when he shouldn't. She rolled her eyes to herself. Typical.

Stormfly suddenly broke Astrid's concentrated thoughts with a crackly roar, trying to get her human's attention with a bob of her head. The Viking blinked a few times as she returned to the land of the living.  
"H-Huh, what? What is it, girl?" she blurted out. Stormfly, having tilted her head back to stare at her human's face, bobbed a few times forward to draw Astrid's eye towards what she had spotted. As the Viking did so, she had to hold back a gasp. The Syfon Rocks themselves, imposing structures of black that blotted out the very stars when against the night sky. Even she hadn't expected them to be this impressively big, the sheer power that the volcano must've put out to form them nearly mind blowing to imagine. The beauty of them was spoiled a little bit when Astrid noted something strange on the side of one of the towering pillars.  
"Stormfly, get us up there and give me some flame. I need to take a look." The Deadly Nadder vibrated in response, hovering in place of the deformation before opening her mouth to let a sparkling fire rest at the back of her throat. Astrid saw what the problem was immediately as Stormfly's embers illuminated the rock face. Some of this pillar was missing, blown apart by some kind of explosive force enough to leave burn marks even against the rock. The chunk was too big to simply be Toothless missing a shot or even doing it on purpose. Too violent, not as precise. Whatever the cause, Astrid couldn't figure out what it meant. Until she looked below from her perch on Stormfly's back.

"An island! And a huge one at that..." A sense of excitement shivered up her back as her worry started to dissolve a little. Hiccup wouldn't have been in any danger, not with Toothless' agility. He would've just landed there and probably gotten a little lost in exploring. After all, that chunk of landmass looked huge, too big to cover in a single day.  
"Looks like we're only going to be giving a scolding rather than a rescue today, Stormfly." The dragon agreed, seeming to nearly cackle in a series of clicks and squeaks. She immediately angled down towards it, turning away from the Syfon Rocks to let them continue to be silent protectors of this little retreat. Or at least, assumed retreat. Astrid had no real idea what she was going to find down there. Whatever it was, it was now mere seconds away as Stormfly came in for a landing.

The island was quiet as Stormfly's claws touched down near a coastal edge. This solitary mass of rock and grass itself was raised up away from the surface of the ocean, nearly resembling Berk in how it didn't really have a proper beach. Just cliffs that had slowly been eaten away by the raging tides that splashed below them. Astrid didn't like it. To say such an impressive volcanic formation as the Syfon Rocks lay nearby, she had half expected this place to be a volcano itself. Maybe even hear the rumble of molten rock beneath her. But there was nothing. Just the night time wind and her dragon. She slid off the saddle and touched down on the ground with a graceful landing, mirroring the Deadly Nadder. She toyed with the clasp on one of the saddle bags and immediately pulled out her axe. She twirled it in her hands before grasping it firmly. No telling what sort of dragons or beasts lay in wait for them.  
"OK, girl, lead the way."

The pair of them didn't have to walk far to discover what it was they were looking for. As Astrid let Stormfly follow her nose, the sapphire female only seemed to get more energetic the further they traveled. Eventually, she couldn't stop herself from hopping up and down as they approached a raised hump in the ground. Astrid raised one of her hands to keep her dragon calm, seeing that the hump was actually an entrance even from this distance. It was like a mouth, wide open and seeming to threaten them with an aura of danger as the wind made a howling noise whipping by it. Stormfly tilted her head, flicking her tail about and trying to point it directly at the cave entrance.  
"You think they're down there?" Astrid asked, her axe grip only tightening. It was pitch black to gaze into. If Hiccup and Toothless were inside, then this cavern would be deeper than probably even they expected. What if they were injured? Trapped? Or worse?

"Come on, we have to-"  
Astrid froze as she took a step forward when her foot made impact against something heavy and metallic. She hadn't even thought to look at the ground for traps. The first rule of sabotage was that the most obvious places could sometimes be the best ones. Luckily for her, she found no traps ready to clamp at her legs. She instead saw something much stranger than that. Astrid knelt to the ground, shifting her axe from one hand to the other as her free one brushed over what she had touched. A small sword, rough and weathered like it had been outside for weeks. It was unlike any craftsmanship she had come across, certainly nothing made on Berk's shores. Had someone gotten here before them? Before she had a chance to consider, that was when she noticed it wasn't just that single item at her feet. All over the cave's entrance way was a collection of bags and journals and weapons and supplies, all loose and scattered like someone had tossed them out here from inside. It wasn't just a small amount from a single person, there were _hundreds_ of possessions, thrown to the elements without a care in the world. Like the people who used to own them just decided to drop everything they had and explore the cave without them. What would make someone do something that stupid? Astrid cursed under her breath. It was a strange thing to discover and at least some sign of human activity on this island. But it didn't lead her any closer to Hiccup or Toothless.

Stormfly spotted something that did. The Deadly Nadder began to growl after glancing at the ground, now fixated on the entrance to whatever catacombs were below with a furious scowl. Astrid quickly came to her dragon's side, trying to keep her relaxed. Whatever Stormfly had observed, it had put her on edge. Something about this place wasn't right and she didn't want to put herself or Astrid anywhere near it.  
"Easy, girl, easy..." Astrid murmured, brushing her fingertips over the scale. "What did you see?" Stormfly nodded downwards once, a metallic clink against one of her claws drawing the rider's attention to it. Astrid's eyes widened as she picked it up in a panic, having to rotate it around in her hand to confirm she wasn't just seeing things. It was Inferno. Hiccup's prized possession of a weapon that wasn't a real weapon. A taming tool for the greatest dragon rider out there and it had just been left here. Not just Inferno. Astrid saw Hiccup's journal, the folded up parchment that made up his map, his compass, even some loose leather straps that would've made up part of his flying leathers from where the objects had been cut free. Hiccup would never abandon his tools, he just wouldn't. To do so would be sheer madness for him. Someone else had taken them from him. Probably unwillingly.  
 _'No...'_ Astrid thought to herself, a rising panic staring to build in her chest. _'Please tell me you didn't go down there...'_ She shook her head with a grimace, getting rid of the nasty thoughts of possibility bubbling to the surface. "Stormfly, we need to get in."

Stormfly disagreed without a moment's hesitation, pushing her bulk in front of Astrid with a croaky croon and shaking her head nearly violently from the effort. Astrid huffed, trying to get around her dragon and inside. Hiccup was in there, he needed her help! But each time she made a move to the side, Stormfly would intercept her and keep her back. Each instance started to replace Astrid's panic with frustration.  
"Stormfly, will you... will you just... just move, please!" she grunted. Her dragon did not comply, occasionally turning her head back to the cave and hissing at it as if to keep it away from her rider. "What's the matter with you? They could be in danger!" Stormfly again shook her head, this time moving close enough to Astrid to push her back and nearly make her trip over herself. The Viking girl grit her teeth. Now even her own dragon was working against her. Perfect. But she also knew logically that Stormfly would not just do this for no reason. The Deadly Nadder always strove to protect and support, just like Toothless or Hookfang or any of the other dragons. If she was acting this way, then something in that void of darkness was too dangerous to get near. And that only made Astrid feel worse as she wracked her head for an idea about how to get inside.

 _'Hiccup... why on earth did you come here?'_

* * *

 _'Tired... weak... but he needs me...'_

Toothless had to keep repeating that mantra to himself over and over again. It was the only thing keeping him going after that hellish vision of being struck down by a dead man. As much as he wanted an explanation, a reason as to why such a personal fear had manifested before his very eyes as real as the wind, he couldn't think. He could feel he had lost a lot of blood. With no medical supplies or Hiccup to help him, the dragon could still feel rivulets of moisture running along the damaged bones and membranes. Even using part of the saddle as a makeshift sling, it hadn't done anything to stop the bleeding. Granted, dragons were much more resilient than humans when it came to this sort of thing. Toothless had survived losing an entire tail fin for quite some time before he met Hiccup proper. But even this was starting to push his limits a bit.

Toothless kept stumbling forward, the flame near the back of his mouth flicking and wavering and threatening to disappear every time he lost concentration. He lowered his brow, narrowing his eyes to keep his focus and peer into the darkness of the tunnel. He couldn't afford to lose his only source of navigation down here, not when he had a rider to find. The Night Fury was already forming plans about what to do when they finally reunited. First he'd have to make sure that his Hiccup hadn't gotten hurt, as well as resist the urge to maim anyone who may have done so. Then he'd never leave his human's side again, they'd find a way out of this mess together, they would find a way home and Toothless would spoil his human for at least a week with all the attention and affection he could muster. Yes, that sounded good.

But that were only if it were possible. Toothless had never considered until now about how they would escape at all. With his wing broken like this, even Hiccup's inventiveness couldn't replace this like he had done with the tail. Downed dragon, dead dragon. for real this time. They'd have no way to travel back to Berk unless they waited for rescue. And that was only possible if they made it to the surface of wherever this dungeon was in the first place. The doubts kept creeping into every optimistic thought the dragon conjured about getting away from here. But he would be strong. He had to be.

 _'Just hang on, Hiccup, I'll save you...'_

Just as the words crossed the Night Fury's thoughts, Toothless heard whispers. Hushed sounds from in front of him somewhere in the black emptiness that surrounded him. He immediately caught sight of it, a small glow of a lantern with a cluster of people huddled around it, dressed in red. They weren't facing him, being on the other end of the chamber, but they easily could if they just raised their heads. He closed his mouth, enveloping himself in that darkness to make sure he wouldn't be seen from his fire. He didn't recognize the voices the whispers belonged to, but they were definitely human. The dragon's ear plates twitched and flicked about to listen properly, gritting his jaws together to try and block out the constant stinging in his wing. The last thing he needed were these strangers finding him, especially if they were responsible for this incarceration.  
"Let's be quick about it! We have little time before the offering needs to be made and they're so difficult to track as it is!"  
"He has a point, brother. Even if we know the caves like the back of our hand, we did only just enough to catch them out of the air by chance when we spotted them. You know how close it was."  
"I _know_. Have patience. Tonight, brothers, we'll be able to please it with what we have wrought. Either they'll go mad in the attempt to escape and end themselves. Or they'll go mad and end each other. Either way, it shall be enough to sate."

Toothless had to bite his tongue to hold back a growl at what he heard. They were talking about him and his Hiccup. weren't they? They'd made a chance catch of them out by the Syfon Rocks and were now using them for... something. To them, he and his human were seen as nothing but pawns in a stupid game to manipulate and toy with. It made him feel like he could just charge at them and set them all alight now, such was his anger at having done this to him, the Alpha of Berk! And Hiccup, the great chieftain! A twinge of pain from his wing shook the dragon back to reality. As much as he really, _really_ , wanted to attack, he was in no state to fight back properly if they retaliated. He couldn't tell if they had weapons from this angle and if they did, it would be nothing but a stupid move that could end up getting him killed. And then how would Hiccup be able to survive? As much as he knew his boy was brave, Toothless also knew just how fragile humans could be. He couldn't bear the thought of Hiccup losing another limb... or worse.

He decided to be patient, staying as still as he could manage and keeping his breath controlled and light so as to not give away his position. Classic Night Fury stealth at work. The people continued to mutter for a moment before they suddenly backtracked on themselves, the aura of their light fading into the tunnel they came from until Toothless was left alone in the dark once more. The Night Fury gave a sigh of relief, letting his tense muscles relax and cause his prosthetic fin to hit the ground with a resounding metal hum against the stone. Toothless flinched and could've hit himself for that. Hiccup would certainly have told him off, reminding him of the days on the Edge for being clumsy. That could've given him away, but he had been too tired to really notice what his limbs were doing. He was thankful a moment later when that noise seemed to have gotte the attention of someone much more desirable than those robed strangers.

"...Toothless? Bud, are you in there? I-It's me, Hiccup, I'm here...!"  
Toothless' heart soared into the stratosphere when he heard it. His beloved human's voice, he was mere meters away from him! His body suddenly felt a surge of energy pulse through his veins, the adrenaline and excitement at the idea of a reunion pushing past the pain and unsteadiness of his legs against the ground. Toothless opened his mouth to call out, taking a large inhale of breath... then another noise occurred. Something metal, just like his fin, but it wasn't the same. Toothless could tell, the frequency only just slightly off compared to his metal parts. Someone else was in here with them. The elation at being found started to evaporate as he saw Hiccup start to wander into the chamber with his own lantern. He didn't manage to get a good look at him before the lantern suddenly went out.  
"Toothless? Is that-"  
Hiccup disappeared from view as a sudden whooshing of something cutting through the air broke off his speech. The lantern the Viking had in his hands could heard smashing to the ground just as a sickening wet sound of impact rang out into the stone hall. Hiccup screamed.

Toothless roared in distress. Damn being sneaky, damn being unseen, Hiccup was in danger! The dragon leaped forward with a ferocious howl, spitting forward a fireball towards where the attacker would be. The walls of the space glowed a brilliant purple as the flaming projectile sped towards its target. To the Night Fury's shock, it dissipated, reflecting off a surface and fading into black once again. Toothless's confusion was just as apparent as his worry was when he warbled to try and call his Hiccup.

 _'Hiccup! Hiccup, please tell me you're okay!'_

Nothing could reflect his fire like that, _nothing_. Nothing except another dragon. Which meant...  
"Better be careful, Night Fury. One false move and I break his neck."

The voice sent a tremor down Toothless' spine. What he saw next amplified it. Brushing the burning embers of the dragon's attack off the dragon skin cloak on his left side, the attacker got one of them to light up a torch clutched in his opposite hand. The chunk of wood erupted into flame and gave a nearly too clear image of what had happened. The hulking madman towered above his victim, the flickering of the flames near his face accentuating his long thin nose, thick locks of darkest black hair and the multitude of scars that had been scratched into his skin. His boot was raised up, pressing down into what was at his feet. A certain Viking who had been pinned to the ground with a bullhook piercing into his back, blood pouring from the wound in horrific spurts and staining his body. The man's boot was pressed into Hiccup's neck, keeping his head firmly to the ground as the young chieftain groaned in pain. His eyes had been screwed shut, teeth clenching as he made desperate sounds to free himself. He only seemed to be making the injury worse as a horrible sound of tearing muscle made him scream again. Toothless was distraught.

 _'HICCUP!'_

"N-No, Toothless, r-run...! You need to get o-out of here..." Hiccup whined, pleading with his dragon to save himself. The one keeping him held in place pressed in harder against the Viking's neck, emphasizing the pain as he turned back to the dragon.

"Now, listen well, dragon. You belong to me," Drago Bludvist sneered. "And if you don't comply with that... he dies."


	4. Quandry

**How To Train Your Dragon:** **Perturbation  
** **Chapter 4: Quandry**

* * *

 _'Father killer! Dragon murderer! This is all your fault! Let him go!'_

"Toothless, don-ahhh!"  
Hiccup's plea was silence by a sudden increase in pressure on his neck, causing him to groan in pain. Drago's weight on his sole was so immense that he swore he could already feel the bones creaking and bending from the sheer force. Drago chuckled to himself, raising up the hand that wasn't clasping the torch and gripping onto his bullhook with it. He violently twisted the handle, causing the young chief to cry out again as a fresh spurt of blood escaped the confines of the deep wound to splash onto the ground. Just a little payback for ruining his victory above the shores of Berk. Toothless roared again, threatening to jump forward with the most savage energy he could muster. Drago was toying with him, trying to make him act and the dragon would not stand for it.

 _'I'll kill you! KILL YOU!'_

Drago pouted mockingly without a word as he motioned his eyes down to Hiccup's neck, a silent warning that he would follow through on his threat if the Night Fury so much as took a single step to set his human free.  
 _'Such a filthy creature... wasn't even useful when you were under my control,'_ the madman thought, baring his teeth as he wished he had ended both of their lives all those months ago. To do so now would be the perfect vengeance. But he knew this one's weak point and he was going to exploit it. Revenge always was best served cold. Who knew that a Night Fury would be so easily brought to its knees by a human, a species that the dragons had always seemed destined to kill?

 _'Hiccup...!'_

Toothless whined again and blasted the ground with a fireball in anger, briefly illuminating his black scale a dim shade of purple that disappeared into nothing. He started pacing about and thrashing his head and tail towards the ground in frustration, claws smacking into the rock with nearly as much strength as Drago. He didn't know what to do. Hiccup was mere meters away from him, in pain and hurt and longing for him and yet Drago was keeping the dragon at bay with just a few simple words. It could've been an idle threat, a bluff to try and make the Night Fury comply without even trying. Maybe it was a plan to do something else, a distraction. Toothless didn't care. He couldn't risk losing Hiccup. Not now, not ever. To think he could be brought to heel in front of this monster so easily... but worth it if it saved his rider. Drago didn't seem too impressed with the outburst of fire though. A saner man would've thought nothing of it. But Drago? He wanted to use it as an excuse to really pull at the Night Fury's strings. After all, this meant he could control without raising a finger. No Bewilderbeast needed this time, not after he had learned how these two worked together.

"Is that insubordination, dragon?" Drago hissed, his eyes narrowing. "Careful. I don't take kindly to disobedience. You should know that better than anyone." Toothless bore his teeth again in another deep threatening rumble as the man continued to speak. Hiccup was still mute, save for the occasional grunt of pain, most of his airway cut off from the foot still bearing down on him. "Now, you're going to listen and listen well." Drago instructed. "You're going to _bow_. And you're going to take us _both_ back to that hole you call Berk. And we're going to finish what we started."  
"No! Please, Toothless, just run...!" begged Hiccup, his hands grasping at Drago's boot to push it off of him. He wasn't strong enough to manage it. Toothless kept flicking his vision between the two humans, lost in indecision about what to do. He couldn't let Hiccup die, he could't risk causing any more damage than he already had.  
He couldn't let Stoick have been right.  
But... how could he possibly comply? How could he betray the dragons he was responsible for and lead Drago in a second wave of attack back home? The Night Fury whined again, shaking his head in the only way knew how to say he didn't know.

 _'I can't! I can't do anything, what do I do?!'_

Drago didn't react how Toothless expected him to. He wasn't disappointed or angry. He didn't roar or swing his weapon above his head in a rage like he used to when someone was against him. He was _smiling_. He seemed overjoyed at the dragon's lack of conviction to either side of the argument. Like he'd been waiting for the opportunity.  
"A shame. I was hoping to kill you both at the same time later. But if you're going to force my hand now by not obeying me..."  
Hiccup suddenly started spluttering, flailing his arms upwards to try and stop the advancement of Drago's boot. His eyes were starting to roll into the back of his head, strained inhales doing whatever they could to make sure his lungs got some air to breath. Toothless couldn't move. It all happened so fast and the reality of what he was seeing hit him too hard to give him chance to do anything. All he could feel was himself roaring in terror, all he could see was Drago's victorious face and all he could hear were the sounds of bone being crushed and cracking under the weight as the blood started to leak and...

* * *

"Toothless! Toothless, snap out of it!"  
Hiccup gripped onto the sides of his dragon's head as the Night Fury was convulsing in a utter panic. The Viking grunted and struggled as Toothless was roaring and crying out loudly, almost like he was in pain at whatever had gripped his mind. His eyes were wide with fear, pupils narrow as they stared off into the distance at something on the floor. The most alien thing about it was the color. The usual emerald shine of his best friend's eyes had faded, replaced by a deep crimson that radiated inwards from the edges. The space near the pupils was much lighter in color, though still blood red, subconsciously reminding Hiccup of the terrorizing gaze of the Bewilderbeast. It was like Toothless had been possessed. He had never seen anything like it before and he had no idea where it had come from, his stomach in knots at witnessing what could be something more dangerous than any maniac in these chambers. It reminded him too much of that day on the Sanctuary's shores, how it left him powerless to help and he was determined to never see that again.

"Toothless, it's me! Come on, work with me here, bud!" Hiccup cried, his arms aching from the effort of trying to keep the dragon's head still. He had walked into this large chamber, convinced that the metal he had heard was Toothless' fin. He had felt elated to know he was right, having just seen the outline of the dragon's head after he used his flame to see. But then Toothless had ignored him. Even as he approached the Night Fury and tried to get his attention, Toothless had completely blanked him, pacing around and seemingly angry with something as the now reddish hue of his eyes shimmered against the light of his lantern. Something awful had then suddenly gripped at the dragon's form, causing him to roar and strain against Hiccup like whatever he was seeing was making him want to escape his own body. Hiccup held firm again, clutching onto Toothless' head hard enough to think he'd tear the scale free if he did so any harder. He looked right in his friend's eyes and yelled, trying to break through to him.  
"Toothless! Look at me! Look at me, bud, come on! Wake UP!"

The Night Fury suddenly stopped growling with a flinch at that last accentuated word. His pupils suddenly dilated as he blinked a few times, the red color that had consumed his eyes starting to fade every time a scaled eyelid covered the surface. His mouth opened a little as he let out a croaking noise, sounding like his throat had dried up as his vision of the real world slowly came back into focus.

 _'...Hiccup?'_

"Oh, thank the Gods..." Hiccup sighed, lowering his head with a huge exhale before he ran his hands over the spines on Toothless' head. His voice turned much calmer and soothing, coaxing the Night Fury gently out of that horrible vision, just like with a bad dream.  
"It's OK, bud, I'm here, I'm right here..." Toothless warbled, the consistency of his noise threatening to break. But he'd... he'd just seen Drago. He'd seen that madman killing his human as though he were an insect under his shoe, snapping bone and muscle and nerve, but now Hiccup was here and his presence filled the dragon with relief and affection. He immediately pushed his snout forward at this revelation, nuzzling against Hiccup's chest eagerly.

 _'My Hiccup! I... I thought you were... I thought you'd been...'_

Hiccup couldn't tell what Toothless had seen, but it would be clear to even the most uneducated of dragon trainers that it hadn't been good. It was too clear to see in the way he looked at his rider. Those eyes were full of worry and concern, concern for him and his well being. The chieftain smiled and nodded, running one of his hands under Tootless' chin while the other continued to rub between the ear plates near the back of his head.  
"I'm fine, bud, I'm right here. It wasn't real, OK? Everything's fine," he cooed, briefly touching his forehead to the dragon's own as a sign of solidarity. "You really had me worried there, I was starting to think I'd never find you." Toothless' body relaxed as he sat down, almost leaning into the human's torso with a tired weight about him. He felt exhausted. Never mind the busted wing, never mind the loss of blood, it was that vision. It had filled him with such adrenaline and stress that it had taken it all out of him. His eyes closed as he lapped his tongue up against Hiccup's cheek a few times, almost like he was trying to groom him before resting his head in those hands. Hiccup lowered himself to a sitting position and held Toothless gently.  
"Shh, it's OK, bud, I'm here," he repeated, keeping aware of his surroundings as the lantern was set down to the side.

The pair of them sat in silence for a few moments, only the gentle drips of moisture from the cave roof to really accompany them. Hiccup held his dragon tenderly, taking a look at the broken wing with a scowl. The injury had certainly been quite severe, being hit with that rock, almost enough to make him wince to himself. It was a good thing that Toothless had thought to use the saddle as a sling, the parts of frayed scale and muscle looking like they were just barely containing the jagged edges of broken bone. They had to escape as soon as possible, a much easier feat now that they were together. But the questions of what Hiccup had witnessed played over and over in his head. Toothless' eyes... they had been consumed by something, something unnatural. They had been wide with terror with that sickening red color and acting like he was seeing a nightmare play itself out in front of him as though it was real as day. He knew that certain substances and creatures could change a dragon's behavior immensely, years of experience told him that. He would be inclined to think the same thing here, that something in this prison was enough to manipulate dragons, if it weren't for one crucial detail.

Hiccup knew it had happened to him too. He had witnessed a frightening impossibility manifest before him as well, one of his deepest and most personal fears of losing his best friend coming to life in the most horrific way. Maybe his eyes had been that same shade of red too. Maybe whatever had possessed the Night Fury had laid claim to his mind as well. But what could have done that? No plant, no dragon species, nothing he could think of could come close to causing it. And it wasn't just dragon specific like some things had been in the past. Whatever was down here was powerful enough to change the way that both human and dragon saw the world. It was powerful enough to draw out their guilt and fear into something that they would never hope to see in reality.  
 _'The caves... the man said they knew him,'_ Hiccup pondered, squeezing at Toothless' head as he bit his lower lip. _'After Toothless was taken by Drago, after I forced him away, I... I became afraid. I was scared that I'd lose him. I'm scared Toothless could... die because of something I do. I never told anyone that. But this place_ knew _about it. It knew my fear, it knew that secret.'_  
What if it had shown Toothless his fears too? What if it was trying to drive him mad with what it made him see, drive them both mad? And the next idea made a chill shiver down Hiccup's back from the base of his neck. The masked figures, speaking in their whispers and hushed voices about draining something from people. Draining enough of some substance to sate... 'it'.

What if 'it' had done this? And if if it did, why?

* * *

Valka was not happy. Far from it. She felt like her very soul was being enveloped by an overwhelming worry the more that she felt the brisk wind blow through her hair and hood. A sensation that would usually make her feel as free as the birds and dragons that claimed the sky was only seeming to harden the negativity in her heart. As she stood here, on a cold crisp morning atop Cloudjumper's back to oversee the island, she knew she shouldn't be doing this. It was the job of their chieftain, the one who was supposed to look over the entire island at the very beginning of the day to watch the domain of Berk and provide aid for those who needed it. But that wasn't possible right now. An entire day had passed since Hiccup had been seen, since Valka had even spoken to him. And now, Astrid and Stormfly had vanished too. Two of the best dragon riders on Berk, the chief and her potential daughter-in-law, gone without a trace. Something didn't sit right with it.

Despite having only known him properly for a relatively short amount of time, Valka knew that Hiccup would never abandon Berk to do what he liked. The events with Drago, with his father... it had set off a new kind of resolve him in, a determination to do what was expected without the burden of aspiration to be like the leaders before him. And she also knew that Astrid would have chastised him and told him off for being so irresponsible if he ever did. Valka couldn't bring herself to smile at the imagined event as much as she wanted to. If Hiccup and Toothless had disappeared, Astrid would've gone out after them. That was just how it worked with them and it would be an easy affair on the back of a Tracker like the Deadly Nadder. But now Astrid had not returned either, which meant that something out among those distant shores was enough to snare them both and keep them away from Berk.

Cloudjumper easily felt his rider's worry. He had been easily able to pick up on the signs after spending over twenty years with her. The way her skin creased in the small space between her eyebrows, the way her nostrils seemed to flare every time she took in a breath. Even the way he felt her feet shift on his back to keep her level while they flew didn't feel normal. The mighty Stormcutter turned his head towards her, the large fins on his head twitching and angling themselves to keep him streamlined despite the movement. A sympathetic rumble made his way through Valka's feet, something that snapped her out of her daze.

 _'I am sure Son and Alpha are well.'_

Valka seemed to know what Cloudjumper was trying to say, offering her old friend a smile as she knelt against the space between his wings.  
"I know, I know. I'm probably just an old woman who's worrying too much. He's his own man now. But this isn't like him, dear. I know Hiccup wouldn't just abandon us."

 _'I know he wouldn't. They'll come back.'_

Valka closed her eyes and exhaled, trying to let the cool air do its usual job of soothing her restless soul as one with the dragons. Cloudjumper tried to do the same, letting them fall into a gentle glide back down to the village to allow his rider the time to clear her head. It did the trick, if only just, the next few minutes consisting of her just her and her dragon slowly falling towards Berk's shores. It was only a fleeting moment of reprieve at best in the ocean of concern Valka found herself adrift in, but it was enough. For now.

* * *

Valka's boots landed quietly and gracefully on the floor, holding her staff next to her left foot with the hand on that side as she and Cloudjumper walked through to the village center. The scene from above seemed normal and on the ground it was equally similar and generally dull. Well, as dull as things could get for a island of Vikings and dragons together. At least nothing was on fire. The residents of Berk never did seem to be worried when Hiccup was missing in action. It was almost like it was a cultural thing that had developed, a mindset from the times when Hiccup not being around was actually a _good_ thing. Perhaps it had just persisted despite the passing of five years. Valka couldn't imagine it for herself, not after witnessing what he had managed to do with dragonkind. She almost felt tempted to shake Berk from its habit of complacency. But she had never been the best at trying to exact change in the first place, so she thought little of it.

Cloudjumper's second set of wings suddenly passed in front of Valka, the large claw tip on the end of one blocking her path near her foot as if to halt her progress. His eyes were looking upwards, peering at a tiny shape shakily making its way towards them. Valka could tell from the general movements of the shape that it was the silhouette of a Terrible Terror, probably the reason why her dragon had stopped. The tiny reptile bobbed in front of Cloudjumper's face for a moment, almost seeming to question how such a creature had gotten so big. The Stormcutter snorted, sending the Terror's flight path into a minitature spiral away from him with a surprised squeak. Valka's lips curled into a slight smile as she held out her arm to catch the smaller one, tracing her hand along the length of her bracer as it landed. The Terror followed her wiggling fingers like a snake, worming its way around her appendage to then rest on her shoulder.  
"Well, hello there, little one," she spoke softly, the Terror peering at her with its oddly positioned eyes. It briefly licked one with a brief snap of its tongue from the side of its mouth before its back leg twitched as if to draw attention to it. Valka's smile faded as she realized that the tiny dragon had a message, wrapped in parchment and fastened to the leg.

A message for her? Ever since she had moved back to Berk, Valka had never had any sort of correspondence. Both from a mixture of not really needing or having anyone to correspond with in letter form and the fact that she found personally delivering messages on the backs of dragons to be much more fulfilling than simple Terrible Terror delivery. The fact that this message had arrived now troubled her, especially since it was clearly intended for her to read. Addressed to her alone just after the chief and his lover had gone missing? It reeked of something fishy and not in the dragon feed kind of way. Valka flicked her arm upwards after pulling away the message from the Terror's leg, allowing the little beast to scamper away with a flutter of its tiny wings. She turned her attention towards Cloudjumper for a moment with a raised eyebrow, as if to say she wasn't sure what this was about. Cloudjumper in turn leaned forward to better peer at what his rider had received.

 _'Perhaps it is something from Son?'_

Valka hands fumbled with the parchment as she laid it down in her palms. Her eyes ran over the surface like a dragon keeping track of prey. Cloudjumper didn't like the look she gave next. Valka was gritting her teeth behind her lips, her hands scrunching up the corners of the message as she then looked up at her dragon. The Stormcutter tilted his head, visibly puzzled by her reaction.  
"We need to gather the other riders. Quickly," she said, her voice low and stern. "Come on." Though Cloudjumper obeyed without question, he wished he could voice such a thing. Whatever Valka had seen was enough to make her seem like she had done many years ago. A vigilante on a mission to save something she cared about. As the pair of them took to the skies once again, Valka's thoughts were on nothing else but what she had received meant.

It was a fragment of Hiccup's map. She'd recognize the writing, the hasty but detailed sketch work and the rushed additions based on what she'd told him anywhere. Specifically, it was a piece that highlighted a certain area of the oceans that she'd purposely tried to not talk about. The Syfon Rocks, outlined in red with a hastily drawn circle in what Valka hoped wasn't blood. The formation itself wasn't the thing that she had tried to disguise when teaching Hiccup about the Archipelago. It was what sat just near them, that gigantic mass of land that was home to something much more sinister than volcanic rock. She'd said it was just a small island, saying nothing worth looking at. Because she knew it was where _they_ had lived, where they still lived now beneath the surface and where they now lay in wait in the hopes of luring in unsuspecting travelers in to take part in their damned rituals. This map was one such lure, probably obtained after they had managed to down Hiccup and Toothless by chance. They probably had gotten Astrid and Stormfly too if she had followed them there.

Valka cursed at herself as she hurried Cloudjumper's pace to find the other riders. She had purposely tried to hide the island to keep anyone else away from what it held inside. But she also should've known that even trying to pass off something as nothing wouldn't be enough to stop Hiccup's adventurous spirit from finding out for himself. The residents of that island had gotten lucky in their catch of her son and Toothless and this map fragment was meant to get more than that prize. She knew it was a trap, a piece of bait designed to make sure she and other dragon riders would arrive to save their lost friends and be struck down as well. Well, Valka would take that bait. But she wouldn't do so quietly. She'd be bringing a lot of firepower.

She just hoped she wouldn't be too late. It was never said to be a patient entity.

* * *

"Ugh, held back by my own dragon..."  
Astrid was frustrated to say the least, her face contorted into a scowl as she walked. No matter what she had tried, Stormfly had refused to let her into that cave surrounded by the lost possessions of equally lost travelers. Distraction, reasoning, outright force, nothing had worked. She wasn't angry at the Nadder though, just the situation. Stormfly would never hold Astrid back from something without good reason. Mostly because the Viking would be too hard headed to take no for an answer most times. But if the dragon was trying this hard to get her to stop, then it was clear to Astrid that something much worse than she could imagine lay down there. She reluctantly complied and set off elsewhere to try and find another way in that wouldn't cause Stormfly to be as stubborn as any boar-headed Viking could be.

It took a little while to find anything else at all. Despite the size of the island, it looked like no one had said foot on it for years, maybe decades. Nothing but plains of grass-covered rock, the occasional dead husk of a tree base adding what little variety in the scenery there was. If anything, the abandoned nature of the island's top side kept making Astrid think that something wasn't right. If people had arrived here before, what could possibly have driven them underground? Or worse, taken them? It was a question she wasn't sure she was going to get the answer to, the minutes passing by to no avail. How would she find Hiccup without getting underground? Stubborn dragon.  
And that was when they found the ruins.

Astrid nearly didn't spot them at first. She'd been walking automatically at this point, her brain tuned out to her surroundings as she imagined alternate ways to get into the caves if this didn't work. It was only when she felt a sudden rush of air from Stormfly bolting past her that she snapped back to reality. She stumbled for a moment, scrunching her face up in reaction before she hurried as well.  
"Stormfly, wait!" she called ahead, the Nadder pausing for a moment and letting out a crackly noise to alert her rider to what she'd seen. As the Viking girl came to her dragon's right side, her brows raised up in surprise that the island actually hosted something other than seemingly endless plains of vegetation. It was hard to realize what they were at first, but any Viking worth their salt would know a village that wasn't theirs when they saw it. It did help with the old habits of invading other territories, after all.

This particular settlement wasn't what one would usually expect to see. Nearly every building, every husk that used to be a building, was empty. Few had been left standing and the ones that were weren't in good condition. Their wooden frames were singed and burnt, some pillars having even turned a grey color from where parts of them had been turned to ash. The worn paths where people once walked were an equally dusty gray, the rest of the ground having been overrun by the grass that covered this entire land mass. No sign of civilization or technology remained. It was obvious to Astrid that some sort of cataclysm had occurred here, something volatile and fiery in nature. Perhaps it had something to do with the Syfon Rocks? They had been caused by a volcano from what Hiccup had told her after all... this kind of devastation was consistent with such a thing. She frowned, reaffirming the grip on her battle axe as she walked into what she assumed used to be the center of town.

"Hello? Is anyone here?" Astrid called, Stormfly approaching from behind to keep an eye out over their surroundings with her enhanced peripheral vision. Unsurprisingly, no one responded. Astrid rolled his shoulders, relaxing from her battle ready stance as she turned towards her dragon.  
"Figures. Don't think anyone's going to be here to greet us," she commented, almost like she was just finding a way to fill the silence of this island. It felt wrong. Better to be cautious. "Keep an eye out, girl, just in case. I'm going to do some snooping." Stormfly bobbed her head down in acknowledgement, spinning her bulky frame around and keeping her tail raised upwards ready for anything that may need a spike based welcome. Astrid swung her axe into her other hand to give her arm a break, heading into one of the more intact buildings that may have contained more than just a hint at human life.

Though the walls were crumbling and the roof had long since collapsed, there were at least a few signs of previous life. The odd metal pot here, the charred pieces of wood for a fire here. Even an old shield, primitive in its design compared to the Gronkcle Iron creations back home. All the more unsettling to see it abandoned like this after seeing that cave back there.  
"Oh, Hiccup, you sure pick some strange places to get lost..." Astrid mumbled to herself. She got down onto one of her knees, using a free hand to shift through the dirt and ash and debris of destruction. She paused when her bracer moved a particular piece to the side, being caught in one of the straps. Her eyes narrowed as she peered at it, tugging at the bulk of it with a grunt of effort. The surface was coated in mess. Astrid placed her axe down to hold the object properly, dusting it off with the back of her hand. It appeared to be a book of some kind. She flicked through the pages, trying to find anything of note that could explain what happened. Most of them were illegible, too smeared or hastily written to make out. Thankfully, at least a fraction of one page had survived. It took a while to make sense of it and there wasn't much to go on, but Astrid did have a good try regardless.

 _...e always knew this day would come. It h_s awoke beneath out fee__  
 _We must get the others t_ safety. It will hung_r for us if we don't move fast.  
We w_ _ ll told the legend of the F_rsyfo_ and now it's here. Underground is the best bet._

"Something forced them underground?" Astrid finally said aloud. "It sounds like a dragon or something. Like with Mala's Eruptodon, maybe. But turning on people?" The situation didn't make sense. Even the mightiest of dragons could be tamed and if the fragment said the people were aware of this thing for so long, even as a legend, it would hardly make sense to attack them. Both she and Hiccup knew that plenty from their personal experiences with Mala and even the Bewilderbeast. No, this thing couldn't be a dragon.  
So perhaps it _wasn't_ a dragon.  
Astrid couldn't think on what it could be though. What kind of creature could destroy an entire settlement like this and drive their people underground or off the island unless it wasn't some kind of dragon? No other animal or creature could come close to matching the village destroying power of a Singetail or a Monstrous Nightmare or even a Red Death. If it wasn't any of those things, then what?

The message at least confirmed to her that there were still people on the island, beneath them if it was being correct. All the more reason to find another way in.  
"Stormfly!" Astrid called, hurrying out of the destroyed building. Her dragon was there in a heartbeat, peering down at her. "Hiccup and Toothless _are_ here! The people of this village fled underground when it was destroyed, they're probably holding them hostage or something!" Stormfly tilted her head in a twitching motion, almost like she didn't understand how her rider had come to this conclusion. Astrid growled in a bit of annoyance before exhaling to calm herself. She came close to her dragon and rested a hand on her snout. Her voice was quiet, gentler than usual.  
"Please, Stormfly. I know that he's down there and I can't leave him. Please help me. I'll keep us both safe, I promise."  
The Deadly Nadder blinked once before closing her eyes, pushing forward a little to solidify their contact. She crooned as she nodded once, nuzzling against Astrid's hand. Maybe she had been a bit too cautious before. They were on a rescue mission after all. Astrid smiled and scratched under Stormfly's chin, slinging her axe into the bag on the Nadder's side before jumping upwards to sit in the saddle.  
"Alright girl, back to that entrance. We're going to drag those two out whether they like it or not!"

* * *

"That's it, bud, you're doing great. Won't be much further now."  
Hiccup and Toothless were making slow but steady progress, backtracking through the tunnels. Using the Night Fury's keen sense of smell, the dragon was leading ahead on the heels of the smell of those masked figures. Hiccup had guessed that if they could find where they had come from, maybe they could find a way out of this place as well. He was trying to be as encouraging as possible, keeping his hand on Toothless' side and giving out whatever cheery words he could muster despite the situation. After all, the pair of them were still bloody and a little bit worse for wear given what they had seen down here. But some would even say that Hiccup was trying a little too hard.

"That's it, Toothless, keep going, I'm right behind you," he cooed, his hand not leaving the dragon's scale for more than second except for when he had to avoid another growth of the odd mushrooms obscuring the path of his feet. Toothless could tell it was artificial, at least partially. The way that Hiccup spoke these encouragements a little too often, the way that his hand was constantly trembling as though he were afraid to let go... something had rattled his human more than he would like to let on and the dragon hated the idea.  
"Good boy, Toothless, we'll find 'em in no time."  
What had happened to him before they had reunited? Toothless forced them to stop for a moment, keeping his head low to the ground and pretending like he had lost the scent. Hiccup became just as quiet and focused, his lantern held up in front of him so that they could have some reminder they were moving. Toothless turned his head, staring back at his rider. His eyes said all they needed to.

 _'Something's bothering you.'_

Hiccup blinked a few times at Toothless' accusing stare, shrugging his shoulders with a bit of a nervous chuckle.  
"Come on, bud, don't stare at me like that. What, do I have somethin' on my face?" The Night Fury wasn't impressed, his eyes half-lidding as he snorted. Hiccup retorted with a similar expression. "Don't give that look, Toothless, I was just trying to lighten up the mood. I mean, what else can you do when you're potentially stuck miles underground with a possible concussion and broken wing? Good times all around." Hiccup's attempt at dry humor did not sit well with the dragon, causing him to nudge his human's body with his tail to get him to drop the act. The Viking got the message pretty quickly, letting out a sigh and allowing his shoulders to relax. The lantern was held down by his side for a moment, obscuring his face partially in the darkness as he spoke.

"Look, bud, I... I know you saw something pretty bad things down here before and I'm sorry I couldn't do anything to prevent it. And... let's just say I saw some things too. I don't want us to be here anymore."  
Hiccup refused to say anything more, his head having tilted downwards as if he were staring at his own shoes. Toothless wouldn't pry further, as much as he seemed concerned by it. He could understand. This dungeon was something he figured the both of them would be keen to forget. He was glad his rider would at least still be honest with him as he always was. A nice reminder that the Hiccup he had seen earlier wasn't real. That the Stoick wasn't real. He never wanted it to be real.

 _'I'll get us home together. I promise, Hiccup. Though I didn't say stop the compliments.'_

Although Toothless' response only came out as a whine and a gentle push rather than the joke he wished he could've said, Hiccup's shoulders twitched as though he had smirked a bit, like he'd read the dragon's mind. Baby boo, same as ever. He raised the lantern again and nodded, prompting Toothless to carry on.  
"Lead the way, bud."  
The Night Fury hesitated in looking down at the ground to reacquire the trail of his task. He lingered on Hiccup's face for a moment longer before he set off again, his pace slow and in sync with his rider the more they walked. He was being sincere in what he believed. They _would_ both get out of here alive and fight those who would dare to jeopardize their chances. Toothless swore it. But the question of how easy it would be still remained, lingering in the back of his mind like a phantom. When Hiccup had raised the lantern back up from his side again, Toothless had stared into his human's eyes. Those loving and green-tinted eyes who reflected his own. What he saw there both confused and worried him all at once.

The irises had started to turn red.


	5. Yield

**How To Train Your Dragon:** **Perturbation  
** **Chapter 5: Yield**

* * *

"So, why are we here again?"  
"Quiet, idiot!"  
"What, can't I ask questions without sister's say so?"  
"Not if you don't want a knuckle in your face!"  
To Tuffnut's credit, his question wasn't quite the usual dumb headed remark that he was prone to spilling out into the open. As he and the other riders stood in a line with their dragons beside them, they didn't actually have a proper clue as to why they were gathered here on the Arena floor. All they had been told was that Valka needed to see them and most of them were not willing to disobey the suggestions of a woman who was as formidable with dragons as her son was. Even so, the mysterious circumstances of their meeting was starting to draw all sorts of ideas into their head.

Fishlegs assumed that Valka had perhaps wanted to introduce some of the various species of dragon that had been under her care for years, species that he had never had chance to create cards on. As such, the large framed Viking was already thumbing through the ones he had on him as if to double check the knowledgeable side of his brain was still intact and ready to take on new information. Meatlug stood by his side, seeming just as lazy and content as ever to be with her rider with a wiggling of her stubby boulder-like tail.

Snotlout was under the impression that it would be some sort of dangerous mission, something that only the raw strength of him and Hookfang would be able to pull off. He wasn't surprised at Valka's desperate gathering here, probably expecting him to take over the reins of the riders' leadership to finally prove himself as the best! Especially now Hiccup was too busy with being a chief and all that stuff. Hookfang didn't seem impressed at sensing his partner's ego, the Monstrous Nightmare giving him a bit of a playful shove to shake him out of his complacent daydreaming. Snotlout's yelling mere moments later proved it had worked.

As for the Thornston twins, it was the usual imaginings of dangerous explosions, mayhem and rather random ideas that filled their thoughts. Right now, Ruffnut was imagining something to do with their dragon's fiery abilities to really set things going with a bang. Nothing to tell your enemies to buzz off than with a Hideous Zippleback boom. Tuffnut was pondering what it was that he had eaten this morning to little success, having drifted away from his initial question in the typical absent minded way he was known for. He knew it certainly wasn't the moldy bread. Wouldn't have tasted nearly as salty if it was. Hopefully the bass hadn't made a comeback. Barf & Belch looked at each other with a roll of their eyes as the twins occasionally hit each other on the shoulder, like it was instinct. Typical.

And in front of them all stood Valka. With Cloudjumper at her side, looking up all the other dragons as if to keep them in line like a general, she had put on her old armor as though she were ready to go off on one of her dragon rescuing raids from years ago. She didn't look like she was feeling very nostalgic about the fact. Her face was scowling, making her seem much more serious than the other riders had ever seen her before. Usually, Valka was the mothering sort, almost liberated in the fact that she could be with all the dragons around the island and with her son now they were finally reunited. But today, there was no trace of that anywhere. This Valka was on a mission and she would not fail.

"I apologize for asking this of you all on such short notice," Valka started, her grip on her staff firming up with a nod of her head. "But I need your help."  
"With what? Is it Drago again?" Snotlout suggested. "Does he need a good butt whooping?"  
"You need to test the merits of moldy bread?" Tuffnut interrupted. "I knew my genius would be recognized!"  
"Do you need help learning about new dragons?!" Fishlegs blabbed excitedly. Valka raised a hand and couldn't hold back a gentle smile, if only for a fleeting moment. Their enthusiasm was commendable. Something she would have to rely on.  
"Not quite, young ones. This is something a little more serious than any of that. Hence the strange request."  
"Nah, gathering us all here at a weird hour we never asked for?" asked Snotlout. "I totally see where Hiccup gets it from."  
"Speaking of which, where is Hiccup exactly? Or Astrid?" Fishlegs pondered aloud, a worry apparent in his voice when he make the realization their chief and fellow rider weren't there too. Valka exhaled slowly as she began to explain.  
"Hiccup's been missing for a day now. I think Astrid tried to go out after him yesterday and now she hasn't returned either."  
"Missing?!" Snotlout yelled. "Where'd they go?"  
"I don't think we're supposed to know, man. Hence the, you know, 'missing' part," explained Tuffnut.  
"In any case..." Valka said sternly to stop their bickering. "Something's happened to both them and their dragons. And I think I have an idea on where to start."  
The other riders thought it would be best to cease their silliness and became determined in their expressions. With Valka looking like she was, even they knew that anything relating to a missing chief and Alpha was serious business. Even the twins, shockingly enough. Valka paused for a moment, genuinely surprised they were acting so maturely despite their previous lack of maturity from only a few seconds ago. She cleared her throat, reaching into one of the pouches on her belt and ruffling through it for a moment.  
"I was sent this," she finally said, holding up the fragment of Hiccup's map that was intended to be bait. "It's from Hiccup's mapping efforts, specifically of an island near the Syfon Rocks. They must've figured out where he had come from and sent it back to us as a lure."  
"The giant volcanic structure?" Fishlegs asked.  
"The very same. I know this island from many years ago. The things that are there are... they're not something any dragon or person should have to see. I tried to hide the island's existence from Hiccup by not telling him about it, thinking that he wouldn't imagine looking at something he could tell was insignificant. But, you know him... just my luck he happened to pick it as a place to go."

Valka's expression saddened as it became clear the fact she knew her son was in such a wretched location was eating away at her. To think he was being exposed to the same horrors she had seen all that time ago... not pleasant to imagine. Cloudjumper leaned in and brushed one of his fins against her, vibrating in sympathy. She looked up at her old friend and traced a hand over his scale before turning back to the other riders.  
"If Hiccup and Toothless are missing, then we don't have a leader for either of our species. It won't be long before the other dragons realize their Alpha is gone and they'll be lost without one. And Hiccup and Astrid... I can't lose them. Not now I'm back. I know this map is a trap. It's supposed to draw us there so we can be taken too, and I know I don't have much right to ask you to help me since I've been here such a short time, but-"

In an instant, all of the riders took a step forward, almost coming across like loyal soldiers. They didn't even question what they would be facing, how Valka knew about it. There would be time for those explanations later. Right now, they each lowered their heads at Valka, their dragons mimicking the action with a plethora rumbles and grunts and growls. Turns out they did have their serious sides. The elder Viking smiled, eternally grateful for their solidarity.  
"Thank you. Now, come. We don't have much time."

* * *

 _'Hiccup, your eyes...'_

"Not now, bud, we need to keep moving. Come on, you're doing just fine."  
Hiccup had tried to push Toothless' concerned whine out of his thoughts. Not to be cruel, but because they needed to be quick. The longer they waited and remained idle, the bigger the chance their targets would get away from them. And that would mean they could possibly never find their way out. Either way, Hiccup was feeling a little more confident in his endeavors now he was back with his dragon. It had started horribly and he would make it up to Toothless when they got home for dragging them both all the way out here. But that note he had found was wrong. He wasn't going to lose Toothless _or_ himself. They were together now, the way it always should be.

Still, that didn't help his dragon feel any better. Hiccup's eyes were still unnatural, a sheen of glossy red replacing the vibrant green that usually stared back whenever they made contact with one another. That couldn't be a good sign. It also wasn't a good sign that it had taken a while for the Night Fury to realize that Hiccup had been injured as well. The blood that had matted his hair and dried against his brow couldn't have come from nowhere, after all. Try as he might to show his worry, Hiccup wouldn't have any of it and insisted they push forward. Almost desperately. Toothless had complied to keep his human happy, choosing to keep his grumbling to himself so he could concentrate on his task. There was no time to consider anything else or disobey what Hiccup needed him to do, but it was hard to focus knowing that everything wasn't as OK as his human said it was.

As the pair continued their seemingly never ending journey through the tunnels, they came to another split path. Hiccup tugged at Toothless' saddle to make him aware of the choice that was presented for them, bringing them both to a halt. Another 50/50 split at the right direction. Another guess at to the way out. Hiccup felt a chill run down his spine. The last time this had happened, he'd seen someone die right before his eyes. The stakes felt a lot higher now that Toothless was by his side again because it could involve both of them. Naturally, his instincts wanted him to go left since choosing right the first time had gone so poorly. His prosthetic took a step towards that way before he stopped himself. Best to follow someone who knew where they should go, gazing down at Toothless with a patient smile.  
"Well, looks like this one's up to you, bud." The Night Fury's snout darted around the ground, sniffing and trying to pick up the trail and eventually seemed to concur with his rider, raising his head and nudging it forward to indicate they should go left. Hiccup's smile broadened.  
"Now we're gettin' somewhere, good work!" he said, rubbing behind Toothless' ear plates as a reward and getting a content growl from the dragon. They both took only a few steps down their chosen route before a voice suddenly rang out from the opposite tunnel. A voice that was relievedly familiar.

"Hiccup! Hiccup, is that you?"  
Hiccup could scarcely believe his ears. That couldn't really be her, could it? She had managed to follow them all the way out here? He had to let out a joyful laugh as he suddenly spun in place and began to run down the other path.  
"A-Astrid! I'm here, we both are!" he cried out, his voice bouncing off the stone like a plasma blast gone awry. He didn't question how she had found them, knowledge of Tracker dragons leaving his thoughts as he focused on the fact he didn't want to risk the chance to miss her. Forget trying to track down the maniacs, they didn't matter anymore. He just felt overwhelmed that there would be another human contact who wasn't trying to kill him at long last. And, if Astrid had gotten to them as soon as this, she would know a way out for sure! Toothless crooned, trying to get his human to slow down as he hurried after him in surprise, claws impacting against the stone with echoing clicks and heavy pats.

 _'Hiccup! What's the matter? Why are you running that way?'_

The young Viking didn't stop, calling out Astrid's name again before the sudden illumination revealed who he was looking for. Astrid came rushing out of the darkness with a smile stretching across her face, dropping her axe onto the floor as she ran and outstretched her arms. Hiccup nearly leaped into her embrace at the chance to be with someone who was in possession of their own mind, clasping his arms around her back and savoring the touch of his love against his chest. Astrid squeezed back just as tightly, nearly forcing all the air out of his lungs with how strong her grip was. Hiccup seemed to forget she was still the more Viking of the two, even to this day. After a moment of contact that felt like it lasted an eternity, Astrid angled her head and kissed him on the lips, pulling away with an exhale before letting him go. Hiccup seemed bashful, an expression that totally went against his bloody and battered physique. His girlfriend suddenly contributed to that physique when she walloped him right in the arm.  
"OW!" he yelped. "W-What, this is what I get for being away for a little while? Gods, it's going numb..."  
"You big dolt!" Astrid cried back, her previous positive attitude transforming into a familiar scathing tone of telling him off for making her worry. "You've been gone for _days_! What on Odin's green earth took hold of you to drag you all the way out here?!" Hiccup flinched at hearing that. He'd been here for that long?  
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" he protested. "I wasn't expecting to be blasted out of the sky just trying to do some exploring..."  
"You should have been careful..." she replied, her tone softening as well as her features. "You're the chief, you can't just up and leave! Valka's been worried sick. _I've_ been worried sick. It's only thanks to Stormfly that we were able to find you." Hiccup turned sheepish, rubbing the back of his head. He knew he hadn't thought it through and was about to apologise before he winced at running his fingers over the wound there. Astrid noted it immediately and frowned, looking him over for any other sort of injury. "Are you alright?"  
"I'm fine, just took a bit of a hit," Hiccup assured her, squeezing onto her hands. "Toothless really should see Gothi soon though. He's not looking too good with his wing all busted up like that." He motioned his head over his shoulder as if to draw attention to his dragon coming up behind him.

Toothless hummed, watching the scene with suspicious eyes. He had stayed purposely back, keeping his body hunched to the ground despite how it shifted his weight and made his injured wing tip and bend slightly. He'd brave it to stay cautious. Hiccup couldn't understand his dragon's behavior, turning to face the Night Fury with a raised brow.  
"What's the matter, bud? It's just Astrid. Come on, we can get out of here now!" Toothless refused to move, darting his eyes between the two Vikings as if he was confused as to why she was here. Hiccup's face scrunched up into a frown. What was wrong now? They were so close to finally getting home! A moment of rational thought relaxed that face with a sigh. He shouldn't be frustrated, Toothless was probably just being overly concerned given the things they had seen in these depths. He couldn't blame his dragon for that and the stress of these long hours was just making him a bit of a short fuse. But Astrid was certainly real enough, that he could say for certain. After all, he could still feel the residual tingle on his skin from her kiss. The Night Fury remained unconvinced, crooning with a flutter of his ear plates.  
"He's been through a lot," Astrid suggested, glancing over the dragon's wing with a look of revulsion. "Sooner we're out of here, the better."  
"Agreed. About time we got to escape and rub it in those guys' faces..." Hiccup mumbled, turning back to his human counterpart. "It's not far, right?"  
"It's just along and up from here, we only just got inside. Come on, Stormfly's waiting up ahead to-"

Astrid's speech was suddenly cut off by a horrifying crunch and splattering of moisture echoing into the space. Her eyes turned wide as she grit her teeth, her body convulsing for a moment and stumbling towards Hiccup. Before he even knew what was happening, a short blade suddenly appeared through her front, piercing the the middle of her chest and sending a spray of blood all over his own. Astrid choked with a look of agony on her face, trying to get some breath back into her straining lungs as she clung to Hiccup's hands for support.  
"...no..." Hiccup whispered, his own eyes pried apart with shock as he could only stare in horror. Astrid collapsed to the ground with labored breath, falling onto her stomach and hunching inwards from the pain. The blade was right through her back to the left of her spine, blood pooling from the wound and soaking into her clothes and onto the ground. The owner of the knife suddenly retracted the blade, causing Astrid to scream from the sudden tugging motion against torn flesh and muscle. That owner was one of the masked figures, glancing over his weapon in a gesture that could only be described as disgust.  
"I always hate getting things messy..." he said from behind his mask. "But I can't allow you to leave, dragon rider."  
Hiccup sank to his knees in shock, stretching out his hands to try and stop the bleeding from Astrid's back. A horrible sense of deja vu with what he had seen happen to Toothless...  
"Astrid...! Astrid, what do I do?!" She would't have any of it, straining her neck to look at her lover.  
"R-Run... Hiccup... g-get past him..."  
"N-No, I can't, I...!"  
"You don't get to make that choice!" came the response from the masked man. In an instant, the red robed maniac suddenly lunged forward, clutching his weapon in both hands and thrusting it towards Hiccup's face. The young chieftain barely had time to react and raised his hands, gripping onto his enemy's own to try and stop his own demise from the amazing strength of his attacker. The blade was slowly inching towards one of his eyes, Astrid's blood still dripping from the tip so thickly that Hiccup could smell it.  
"T-Toothless! Help her, get Astrid out of here! Please!"

The Night Fury was lost in what to do, staring at his human in the exact same way that the Viking had done to him only moments ago. What was Hiccup doing? Was he trying to...? He tried to call to his rider to get his attention, to make him cease his struggle but it wasn't working.

 _'Hiccup, don't! Please, don't do it!'_

"She's HURT, Toothless! Help her!"  
Hiccup's plea went unanswered as the stamina in his arms started to give out. Closer the blade came, nearly enough to nick his skin, but he managed to have just enough strength to scream at his dragon. This wasn't the time to be cautious and careful, Toothless needed to damn well act to help out before things got any worse. The fact he hadn't only added to the Viking's anxiety, the strain of his voice only emphasizing the fact he was furious his dragon was just sitting there.  
"TOOTHLESS, DO SOMETHING!"  
Toothless was flinching and whimpering at Hiccup's harsh tone. Hiccup had never been like this with him, not since the Sanctuary. It made the dragon feel ill, a recurring feeling that kept bubbling to the surface trapped down here. The more he watched Hiccup struggle, the more he realized he had to be brave too. His rider had a point. He did have to do something. But it wasn't in the way that the Viking would've guessed or wanted. He had only one way to shake Hiccup free, the same way that he had been freed. A sudden shock.  
Toothless roared. Loudly.

 _'Hiccup, please, PUT DOWN THE KNIFE!'_

Hiccup winced at the power of the Night Fury's cry, unable to clamp his hands over his ears as much as he wished he could. He screwed his eyes shut, allowing the ringing in his eardrums to subside before he opened them again slowly. Once again, he almost forgot to breathe with what he saw.

Astrid wasn't on the floor. There was no trace she had ever been there, no footprints, no discarded axe. No blood. Just the same old fungal growth and mounds of loose rocks lining the path as they always had throughout the dungeon. The masked attacker wasn't there either. He had dissolved away into the blackness like he too had never existed. Instead of either of them, Hiccup saw his hands stretched out, still clinging onto the knife that had threatened to pierce his head. They were shaking from their fierce grip around the hilt.

The masked man wasn't holding the knife.

Hiccup was holding the knife.

Holding _his own_ knife, pointed towards himself.  
 _  
'...what...?'_

The weapon clattered to the ground, grip loosening with terrified tremors as Hiccup stared as his palms. They wouldn't stop shaking, he couldn't even move the fingers, frozen in a claw-like position. A tear leaked out from one of his eyes, splashing onto a dirty palm as he stayed slumped on his knees, completely still and staring at his hands. He hadn't been attacked at all. He had just tried to hurt himself. Maybe even kill himself. And he had no idea why. It was only thanks to Toothless breaking his concentration with that ear splitting noise that he was able to snap back to reality and realize he wasn't struggling against anyone. He should've felt relief that Astrid hadn't really been hurt. He should've been relieved that he had not done anything too extreme. But all he could think about was how this had a much too familiar ring to it. All he could feel was fear. A raw, innate fear at the prospect of one's own demise. Even in dangerous situations before, he'd never thought about it. But that was far too close for comfort. He started to think back to the first man he had met down here. The one who had chosen to die. Had he really chosen to do that? Or had he imagined that something was slamming his skull against the rock instead of himself?

Hiccup fell forward onto his hands, slamming a fist into the rock hard enough to shatter his bones. He didn't even feeling the sting of the impact. He was losing it. He was starting to crack. As much as he had tried to be confident and claim that the people who had orchestrated this wouldn't break him, he couldn't be sure anymore. They said he would lose himself here. With each vision, he felt like he was doing just that. Once again, he had been shown one of his worst fears, the fear of losing the only love of his life. He had been convinced he had felt Astrid's touch, felt her kiss. Felt her blood. The strength of the madman who attacked him. And once again, it had been nothing but a fabrication, a delusion from which he didn't know the origin. How would he know what was real anymore? Were the men he saw ever real? Were the notes showing evidence of this situation being created ever real?  
Was _Toothles_ s even real...?

The Night Fury took tentative steps forward towards his rider. All he had seen was Hiccup hear something that he hadn't, interact with someone who wasn't there. And then pull out his knife. The moment had corrupted the dragon's emotions with overwhelming terror at the possibility of what his other half would do. He dared a gentle nudging to the Viking's side with his nose, trying to be comforting. Hiccup flinched, curling his arms in on himself as though the contact had caused him physical pain. Toothless recoiled, hoping he hadn't done anything to exacerbate the raw anger that had manifested in his human's voice. It was at least a minute of cold silence before Hiccup said anything.  
"...I'm sorry I yelled at you."  
Toothless's ear plates fell flat against his head as he dared another touch, trying to squeeze his head in the space under Hiccup's arm and against his side. He peered upwards as he succeeded. Though Hiccup's eyes were half-lidded and moist with terror induced tears, they had returned to their natural green. Whatever had claimed him was gone. But it had taken an obvious toll. Toothless vibrated, nuzzling as lightly as he could against Hiccup's chest and giving him a slight dab of tongue against the blood stained skin.

 _'I'm real. I'm here for you, Hiccup, I'm real. I promise I won't leave you.'_

Hiccup nodded his head, the hint of a smile showing as one corner of his lips twitched upwards momentarily for a moment at Toothless' lick. He pushed himself to his feet, choosing to leave the knife there on the ground. It was replaceable and he couldn't trust himself with it anymore. Not if these caves could make him use it in ways he would never consider with a sane mind. Toothless supported his precious other half as best as he could, trying to coax Hiccup to sit in the saddle upon his back. The weary human obliged without a word, sliding into the seat and keeping his feet clear of the dragon's injury.  
"...get us out of here, bud. Please."  
The voice wasn't strong. It was croaky, unsure, lacking conviction. The positive timbre that had filled it before had been destroyed and the Night Fury's ears picked up on a very soft sound that could only come from someone who was close to breaking point. The sound of someone trying desperately to keep their emotions in check. It reminded the Night Fury too much of how Hiccup had nearly broken above the skies of Berk that day, the day they had nearly lost each other for good. Toothless was determined to never see that again.

 _'Please don't cry... I don't like it when my Hiccup is sad. I'll keep you safe.'_

Toothless' sympathetic vibrations warmed Hiccup's heart, making him as still and as relaxed as he could afford to be. He hugged around his dragon's neck, trying not to be too tight. The truth was he wanted to squeeze at it as hard as he could muster. It was the only way he could be sure that the dragon who reflected his soul wouldn't disappear on him too. That he wasn't a delusion as well.

As Toothless soldiered onward, resuming his original task of tracking the people responsible and backtracking through the caves to take the other path of their 50/50 choice, Hiccup could only hope with everything he had that Astrid wouldn't have followed him here. He couldn't lose her to this madness as well.

* * *

The real Astrid had finally made it back to the entrance to this hellhole, making sure to have gathered Hiccup's belongings from the mountains of unclaimed things that lay on the ground there. He would certainly need them more than the open sky and this grass would. She had packed them away hurriedly into Stormfly's saddle bag and now the pair of them were stood before the gaping maw leading into the earth. Astrid could tell her dragon was still a little hesitant to do this, but she hadn't gotten in the way again like last time. Hopefully it would stay that way. The Viking knew that she would need a Deadly Nadder's protection heading into a place like this. She exhaled once, clearing her head. Charging in was what she wished she could do, but she also knew logically it wouldn't help with unknowns. Stay calm. Find Hiccup. Her hand held steady on her axe as she adjusted the collar of her hood with her other. She stepped forward. Stormfly mirrored her.

Immediately, Astrid could smell something horrible as she entered the tunnels. Musty air that felt like it had hung dead in these walls for centuries mixed with something that smelled organic. She didn't want to guess what it could be. She grimaced, holding her free hand over her mouth as she progressed inwards. At least Hiccup would've gotten used to it if he was here for as long as she thought he had been. It was revolting, worse than any odor a Viking could hope to attain in their lifetime. Stormfly was much more composed, having a much stronger stomach for things that smelled bad to humans. The benefits of being a Tracker and dealing with scents from everything.  
"Gods, it's like Snotlout's boots... ugh..." Astrid remarked, eventually pushing past the barrier of disgust to focus on her task. Remember. Stay calm. Find Hiccup. Yell his ear off. Pull him out of here by said ear. Go home. Simple, right?

The Viking and her dragon kept their pace steady, descending down into the depths until it started to get hard to see. Astrid didn't want to guess how deep they were already. Without a word, Stormfly opened her mouth and allowed a sparkling fire to act as a torch, the licks of flame dancing over her teeth and casting odd shadows on the wall. Astrid took in her surroundings. She was always taught that a proper warrior was aware of the battlefield on which they stood because even the tiniest details could matter. That behaviour persisted even now. She noted how the cave floor was worn down with the impressions of potentially hundreds of feet, the way an unknown fungus pushed up from the cracks in the rock. Just seemed like the usual caverns she and the other riders had discovered years ago during the escapades at the Edge apart from that. But that smell... she finally picked up on what it was.

Blood. Human. A smell that any Viking worth their weaponry knew off by heart. Astrid had smelled this many a time in her life, whether during the Dragon Wars or to accidental dragon bites at the Arena, even the Scourge Of Odin's victims. Whatever was down here had made sure its victims had bled. No wonder Stormfly had been jumpy going in here. With a nose that sensitive, it probably spelled danger from a mile away. Astrid reached one of her hands back as they continued to walk, keeping her palm pressed against the Nadder's jawbone to ensure she stayed calm. Stormfly did her job, acknowledging the touch with a croak and causing her flame to waver just a bit. Thankfully, they didn't have to travel long to find something extraordinary. It was only a few minutes before Astrid noticed the walls were starting to open up, like they were expanding into an entrance of some sort. It was then that she realised she wouldn't need Stormfly's fire here.

In front of the duo was a gigantic circular chamber, bigger than any structure Astrid had been inside before. The roof ascended to many meters above their heads, possibly all the way to the surface. The space was illuminated by dozens of torches, scattered like fireflies and burning just as dimly on their own. Together, however, they cast an eerie orange glow on what lay inside, prompting Stormfly to cease her own fire. There were dozens of small buildings, each constructed from what could only be assumed to be the remains of the old village. Some of the wood was charred and burnt in the same manner as the ruins topside, the structures appearing like they were hastily constructed together. In the center of the underground town was a gigantic hole, square in shape with the corners pointing towards the north, east, south and west respectively. The hole looked like it was nearly overflowing with the complete black it held within, the torches scattered around its rim doing nothing to shed any light on what lay inside it. A stone slab was near the corner furthest away from Astrid and her dragon, the sides stained with red that ran from the edges and into the pit. it looks almost sacrificial. An idea that make Astrid's blood run cold. It ran colder when she saw the people. Dozens, maybe a hundred of them, all gathered around the slab with their heads held low. They all wore robes of red, masks of white covering their faces.  
 _'So they did move underground after all...'_ Astrid thought. The behavior was almost... religious. But it wasn't like any worship of Thor or Odin or any Viking god she knew. Realizing they were in a compromised position near the entrance like this, her eyes darted around for anything that would do to conceal them. She tapped insistently at Stormfly's side, pointing to a boulder only a few meters away from the gathering.  
"Over there, girl, before they see us!" she hissed. Stormfly nodded, hunching her body down to the ground. The dragon and her human were near silent, especially thanks to the dsitraction of the booming voice from the front of the pack. As Astrid peered over the edge of her new hiding place, she tried to listen in. It was hard to make out what they were saying from this distance, but the grandiose persona of the one in front made it simpler than she would've guessed.

"It demands another offering, brothers and sisters! An offering of blood, tainted by the most primal of all things! Let us give it to the depths below so that it will keep our minds pure and our sight clear!"  
A small rumble of agreeing voices from behind those masks showed the other villagers agreement. A few of them parted ways to make room for some other masked strangers. Astrid's eyes widened in shock when they realised they were carrying a body. It was clearly a male, skinny and lanky in figure. Only tatters of clothing around his waist remained, his form limp. Either passed out or dead, Astrid couldn't say. Her heart skipped a beat as she tried to see anything she'd recognize. She prayed she would't see the messy hair with the braids she had made, the prosthetic limb, the flying leathers. She was comforted by the fact she saw nothing that looked like Hiccup. But even so, the sight troubled her as they placed the man on the slab head first towards the abyss. Stormfly rumbled to herself, her eyes narrowing in distrust of these humans.  
"I know, I see it too..." Astrid replied automatically, watching with a strange mixture of morbid curiosity and horror. What were they doing?

The answer came with a sudden production of a knife from the lead one's sleeve, leaning over the body on the slab. In a single fluid motion, the blade slashed across the body's throat in a horrendous wet splash, the blood spraying out from the pressure in a miniature fountain over the lip of the stone. Astrid was horrified, watching as the crimson liquid spilled over the edge nd into the darkness. The other members of the congregation bowed their heads, mumbling among themselves in some prayer that Astrid couldn't understand. It wasn't just religious any more. It was like a cult. On Berk, Astrid had never had to witness sacrifice like this, not with animal or human. Stormfly sensed her rider's distress at it, bringing her head in closer and clicking once to remind the Viking she was there. Astrid nodded without a word and clung harder to Stormfly's side, unable to tear her eyes away from the brutality. She could take some solace in realizing the man was already dead when they did the deed. But that didn't make it any easier to watch.

"Fearsyfon!" cried the group at the front. "Know that this is but a simple gift from equally simple folk as us. But also know that the offering you seek from us is at hand! This shall be but a taste of what we have, a sample of the primal energy you seek that will soon run the veins of human and dragon dry!"  
Astrid didn't have chance to process what this 'Fearsyfon' was when she gasped. Human and dragon? They couldn't mean... they weren't going to sacrifice Hiccup and Toothless, were they? Why?  
And to what?  
She gripped her axe harder than she ever had done in recent memory, wanting to charge in there right now and demand answers. She could imagine it now, yelling at the top of her voice loud enough to reach Valhalla, demanding them to give back her boyfriend and his dragon or heads would roll. Literally. The Viking blood that was starting to boil beneath her skin in her anger was screaming at her to try. But the logical side, the thinking aspect that Hiccup had instilled in her, said no. With so many of them and with so many possible threats, she would end up just as lifeless as the body they just cut open. As satisfying as it would be to sate her anger, it wasn't worth it.

As the group started to disperse and travel back to their particular buildings now the ceremony was over, some of them started to go on routes of what looked like patrols. Tunnels in the opposite walls were everywhere, almost like a maze in many choices there were. How were they supposed to find Hiccup and Toothless amidst all that? Astrid closed her eyes and repeated to herself over and over.  
"Think, Astrid, think..." A few seconds passed before she turned back to Stormfly with her back against the rock. "Alright... we have to get one of them to talk. We'll keep out of sight until one of them comes near and then we jump him and find out where they are. Got it?" Stormfly nodded her head with a enthusiastic warble, prompting Astrid to let out a rather loud 'shhhh!' to keep the Nadder silent. "But do it quietly! We mess this up and we'll never find Hiccup and Toothless."  
She had to play this carefully... and Astrid didn't usually do careful. She much preferred the louder approach. But there'd be plenty of time for that when they captured their mark.

"Hold on, Hiccup... stay alive, you hear me?"


	6. Manifestation

**How To Train Your Dragon:** **Perturbation  
** **Chapter 6: Manifestation**

* * *

The disciple hadn't expected his afternoon to turn out the way it had. The day's events had consisted with what the leader had told them would pass until this point. A fresh batch of Sacrifices, ripe to be filled with the primal force to satisfy the Fearsyfon, had been collected only a few days past. A rider and his dragon, no less. Such a thing would be unheard of normally, especially since it had not been seen since that fateful day years ago when the vigilante had tried to steal back some lucky catches of the reptilian beasts. He knew that dragons by themselves were not ideal to use in the sacrifices. Being near the top of the food chain, there was little they feared and therefore little to exploit. But dragons that were bonded to humans? That was something the Fearsyfon could use.

However, this particular member of the group devoted to the Fearsyfon, the ones it had driven underground in a rage decades before, was not paying attention to anything out of place when he was ambushed. After all, why would he? The sacrifice was a success, the thing below in that pit had not attacked their minds and the village was free to go about its daily business for a little bit longer. He had no reason to suspect he would soon be assaulted from the darkness as he passed one of the boulders that lay there as a reminder of the day of destruction and headed towards the entrance of the Sacrificial Maze. The giant underground construct that the village used to prepare the Sacrifices for their day of offering. Usually a few days in there was enough. Sometimes it would take weeks, even months. Then they would be broken and welcome the release that the Fearsyfon would bring them.

In any case, the disciple hadn't been expecting a hand to reach out and suddenly grab at his neck from around the corner, pulling him in to the small alcove that resided just in the archway. He winced as his back hit the wall harshly, struggling with the arm clasped up against it for a moment before he saw a shining of metal in his peripheral vision.  
"Sorry to drag you away from your business," his attacker murmured.  
Astrid slammed her axe into the wall, the space at the top that left a half crescent of space between the curved blades surrounding her target's neck and keeping him pinned down for information. Stormfly stood in the shadows with her spikes at the ready, eyes narrowed with a particularly threatening growl constantly humming into the disciple's ears. The man spluttered, trying to remove the weapon to no avail. It took him a while to realize who his assailants were.  
"Y-You! You're not a Sacrifice!"  
"You're damn right I'm not," Astrid replied calmly, but with a very obvious hint of malice. "But you're gonna help me find one."  
"You're not supposed to be here, let me go at once or I'll-!"  
"Ah, ah, ah," she said, bringing a finger to her lips to gesture that he shouldn't be too loud. "I'd think again on that if I were you. Nadder spikes can cut deep and they can be _really_ hard to get out of bone." The twitching and fluttering of said spikes from the woman's dragon was enough to prove to the disciple she was serious in what she threatened. The man swallowed, a hint of nerves hidden behind his mask as his voice turned quieter.  
"Who are you? Companions of the Night Fury and his rider? You've nothing to gain from me!"  
"You're not in a position to ask the questions here," Astrid replied, her voice low as she leaned in closer. "But if you must know, I think you could consider me the 'crazy girlfriend' stereotype. You know, unusually angry, very demanding?" The Viking emphasized her point by pushing harder on the handle of her axe, making the edges of the blade press harder into the disciple's throat. "Now start talking! Where are they?"

The disciple stayed silent, as much as he was struggling to keep the axe from forcing itself against his neck too much. The odd splutter sounded out as Astrid waited with a scowl. She nodded her head to Stormfly, prompting the Deadly Nadder to flutter her tail and draw one of the very sharp tips near the man's head. His struggling remained persistent, but didn't seem to change. He didn't seem very phased by what he was up against... if anything, he'd just been surprised. Astrid repeated her question.  
"Where. Are. They." she stated, making sure each word stood out so that she wasn't misunderstood. Once again, the disciple remained silent, the only sound he emitted being the muffled breathing behind that strange white mask, marked with lines of black. Heck of a game face, that was for sure. But Astrid would soon put a stop to that. She moved up the hand that wasn't holding onto the axe and grabbed at the eye holes of the mask. She pulled it off and down, letting it fall to the stone at their feet. She hadn't expected to see this.

The disciple's face was thin, the bones of his skull structure pressing against the skin as though there was nothing in between the two. His lips were pursed together, trying to make sure he would stop himself from talking. The skin itself was partially faded, the veins and arteries accentuated in the dull light from a nearby torch. It was like he had been in the darkness down here for years and adapted to it, an obvious thing that made sense given the village's history. But Astrid couldn't help but notice that the strangest thing about the stranger was his eyes. They were wide, nearly glowing in the dark from how they contrasted his skin, the irises shaded a blood red color that radiated from brighter to darker shades the further away from the pupil it got. No natural color was obvious or hinted at, like it had never been there and the sight did cause her to catch herself staring. The disciple noticed it too and snickered.

"Heh... who's the scared one now?"  
" _You_ should be," Astrid retorted, keeping her grip strong despite being taken aback. "Freaky eyes or not, you're not keeping my friends down here."  
"You think I'm scared of your threats, girl? There are things in those walls far worse than you and your dragon," he sneered.  
"Such tough talk from someone who has an axe to their neck. How brave."  
"Don't patronize me!" the man spat. "I've had my eyes opened to the true nature of what resides down here. What drove us from our home and will only let us live through the sacrifice of those compelled by the instinct to survive. You couldn't come close to the horrors it would inflict on us all." Astrid's scowl worsened as Stormfly kept a watch out for any other activity, tail still at the ready. Whatever was in the pit had done this to him? Given him some sort of insight and caused that red sheen in his eyes as a consequence... and threatened him if he didn't appease it.  
"What horrors? What in Hel's name is in that hole?"  
"Something which is far too important to have the Sacrifices stop. They stop, we all stop. For _good_. It'll destroy our minds like it almost did all those years ago. I won't let you cause that to happen again!"

Astrid had to wonder. The disciple's voice when he described the actual nature of the thing they all served... he was afraid of it, far more than he was of her. They all had been during the ceremony. The way they referred to it with such power, such reverence. What else could it be if not god-fearing? She was in no mood to deal with gods and the nuts who followed their disgusting rituals, focusing back onto her goal.  
"I don't care about that! You're going to tell me where the rider and his dragon are or..."  
"Or you'll what?" the disciple blurted out. "Nothing you could do to me would be the same as what the Fearsyfon inflicted on us all. It could even be a reprieve!" He cackled to himself as Astrid felt familiarity twinge in her brain. The head of that group... he had referred to the Fearsyfon as well. Was that what they called it? It was an appropriate name. A literal siphon of fear, something that ran off the collective terror of those around it. But she'd seen nothing but the dark in that pit. Was it just asleep or hidden?  
Or was it the darkness itself?

"Well, maybe you're right. I probably couldn't match what a 'Fearsyfon' could do. But I do know something that won't be nice either way," Astrid explained. She beckoned Stormfly a little closer with a wave of her fingers. "Light it up, girl."  
In an instant, the Nadder's mouth opened and her sparkling fire burst into life at the back of her throat. The man reacted just like Astrid hoped anyone who was not accustomed to bright lights would. He yelled in distress, squirming against the axe blade and tried to shield his eyes as much as his position wouldn't let him. He felt like his skin was burning just being near the source of illumination, like the very sun was being forced upon him. Astrid wasn't trying to injure him with the fire, only using the light it gave off to play on the man's adaptation to the dark. She normally wouldn't consider something like this to achieve her goal, thinking that it was a little too harsh to exploit someone's weakness in this way. But in this instance, she was sure she could get over it when it concerned members of a group committed to human and dragon sacrifice.  
"Where are they?!" Astrid demanded.  
"Nnghahhh! Stop it!" the disciple grunted.  
"Tell me where they are or it only gets brighter!"  
"ARGH! Th-They're down this tunnel! Last reports from the scouts s-said they were approaching one of the l-larger chambers down and t-to the left! Alright?! Now, turn it off!" Astrid smiled as Stormfly closed her mouth, satisfied with the answer she received. That wasn't so hard was it? She unhooked her axe from the wall and suddenly jabbed the end of the handle into the man's forehead. The blow knocked him out swiftly and quietly, the disciple slumping to the floor.  
"Well, you asked for lights out..." she mumbled.

Astrid waved her hand in the direction of the tunnel to Stormfly, remembering the directions. Down and to the left near the bigger chamber. Easy. She encouraged her dragon to be quick. A commotion like the man's yelling was sure to attract attention and they were running out of time. If they didn't find Hiccup and Toothless before the group found them, they could end up being the next ones to lay down on that slab.

She refused to let that happen.

* * *

The wind currents were turbulent, unusually so for this stretch of sky. At least they felt like it. In truth, Valka was unsure that it was the wind at all. She couldn't tell whether the feeling of unease in their flight was because of the weather conditions or because the rising worry within her was making her feel unsteady on Cloudjumper's back. Right now, she was leading the pack of the other dragon riders, Snotlout and Fishlegs on her left and the twins on the right. They had vowed to be fast, leaving Spitelout and Gobber in charge of keeping the peace back home until they returned. They had only been flying for a short amount of time but were already nearing their destination from how fast they were trying to get there, the black specters of rock that made up the Syfon Rocks already standing out above the clouds below them.  
"Take us down, Cloudjumper," Valka ordered, the Stormcutter obeying with a shift of his wings and a roar to the other dragons behind him. Meatlug, Barf & Belch and Hookfang grunted in response and headed into the sea of white beneath.

When the dragons broke through the cloud barrier to see the ocean below them, the large mass of land Valka had spoken about came into view. It was clear to see just how much she had played down the size of it on the map, the real thing nearly ten times the area to explore. It wasn't going to be easy to find the entrance to the caverns beneath, the passage of time since the day Valka touched down there having faded from being detailed memories. But she would find it. She had to.  
"Oh, geez!" Fishlegs exclaimed, gazing up at the Syfon Rocks near the island's shores. "The power that volcano must've had to create these things must've been massive!"  
"It'll have been one heck of a boom!" agreed Ruffnut. Her brother stayed strangely quiet as he peered up at them like a detective doing some snooping work. Snotlout picked up on it immediately.  
"What? You see something up there?"  
"Maybe..." Tuffnut finally replied. "Come on, Belch, get up to that one!"

Following the pointing of their rider's arm, Barf & Belch whipped up through the air quickly before coming to a stop in front of one of the pillars. The dual headed beast's wings beat fiercely to keep them in place against the rush of oceanic wind, just as both of the twins peered in to analyse what they saw. A large portion of the rock had been blasted away by some kind of explosion, the gaping hole easy to notice even against the already darkly colored surface. Valka had Cloudjumper follow them, hovering nearby before she gracefully leapt from the body of her dragon onto Barf & Belch's back. Both the Thornston twins gasped when her head appeared between them, the former Dragon Thief balancing one foot on each of the Hideous Zippleback's necks. It was a good thing she was rather light.  
"Geez, don't do that! You'll give Hiccup ideas..." Tuffnut groaned. Valka shrugged her shoulders with a trace of a sly smile, noting how Cloudjumper had given a disapproving growl at her action. He wished his human wouldn't be so daring at her age... Valka repeated her gesture towards her dragon before turning serious once more.  
"What is it?" she asked, looking at the scorch marks. "Doesn't look like a Night Fury or Nadder's fire..."  
"That's 'cause it ain't," Ruffnut explained simply. "Definitely human created. Easy to discern from the burn patterns and overall damage. Too weak for a dragon, but it did pack quite a kick."  
"Agreed," piped in her brother. "Probably some kind of explosive they set off with an flaming arrow shot to catch them unaware. I personally wouldn't have have been so particular about it, maybe tried using the arrows themselves to hit my targets or maybe something to trigger a collapse for maximum spectacle!"  
Valka stared blankly between the two of them for a moment, amazed that such a precise definition of anything could come out of their mouths.  
"How on Odin's green earth did you know about _any_ of that?!" Fishlegs asked, Meatlug coming up to the group's left side with an equally curious rumble.  
"You have _met_ us, right?" Ruffnut replied with a raised brow. "If anyone's going to know how something blew up, it's going to be us!"  
"Yeah, yeah, this is all well and good, but I think you're all forgetting something important!" interrupted Snotlout, pointing towards the island from Hookfang's saddle. "If this thing blew up on purpose, then Hiccup and Toothless probably got hit by it. So maybe it'd be best if we stopped having the twins prove they share half a brain between them and MOVE?!"  
"He's right," Valka agreed, adjusting her stance and jumping back onto Cloudjumper's back. "Get us down there, dear."

* * *

A matter of moments later and the Stormcutter had led the other dragons to the island's surface, heavy thuds of claws and talons pressing into the ground sending vibrations through their smaller human counterparts. Valka dismounted from Cloudjumper with a graceful twirl, landing hunched down in a feral pose before standing up proper. Wherever here was, it contained what could only be described as remains of a once thriving village. She didn't remember this from last time, having used other Tracking dragons to get directly into the caves before. As the other riders approached behind her from their dragons and took a look for themselves, Valka scanned her eyes over the site. No signs of life anywhere and certainly not her son or Astrid. The entrance to the caverns was probably not here. But maybe this place would give some clues to explain what she had seen before. Maybe they'd even find Hiccup and Astrid safe and sound and away from those lunatics. But that was a big maybe.  
"Spread out and search. Hiccup or Astrid could have been here before us, so we need to be thorough if we're going to find the entrance," she ordered. The other riders followed her instructions, their dragons waiting along the 'outskirts' of the village and setting up a defensive perimeter without a question. They wouldn't let their riders come to harm.

As the twins headed off towards the most intact of the buildings and Snotlout sifted through debris to the left, Fishlegs approached Valka as she began to walk through what used to be the town square.  
"Uh, Mrs. Haddock?" he asked. "Um, I was wondering... how do you know about this place? You said you'd been here before."  
"Aye. I have been," Valka said simply. "Many years ago back at the Sanctuary. It feels strange to be back..."  
"What happened to make you come here?"  
"Something similar to this. Someone went missing. Well, a group did. Some of our dragons used to make up scouting parties. On the orders of the Alpha, they would fan out a certain distance from our home, trying to find new food supplies or any potential threats coming our way so we could prepare. One day, a group never came back. I took Cloudjumper and some other dragons to try and rescue them, fearing it was the trappers. But what we found waiting for us was worse."  
"W-Worse...?" Fishlegs stammered. Valka went silent for a moment before she turned back to face him.  
"The people that used to live in this village... they moved underground after some kind of cataclysm. Which I assume is probably what this is the remains of," she explained, gesturing to the ruined buildings with her staff. "At least, that's what they told me. They were afraid of ...something and said they had to appease it. So they had taken down our dragons and..."  
The chief's mother exhaled to calm herself, like the next part was hard to say.  
"They killed them. Some kind of ritualistic thing that they said was necessary. I made sure we didn't stick around long, I didn't want to lose another dragon. After that day, the Alpha dealt with the food situation himself and I tried to forget about ever being here. I hid it on Hiccup's map so he wouldn't let his curiosity get the better of him. Now they probably have both him and Astrid..."  
"Why would they do that...?" Fishlegs blurted out, almost seeming angry that anyone would want to hurt a dragon in such a barbaric way unless they were someone like Drago. "Did the... 'something' make them?" Valka got to her knees and started shuffling through some burnt wood pieces, hoping to maybe find the rest of Hiccup's map or anything that would tell her where he son was.  
"I don't know. But they were right. Something _is_ on this island, right beneath our feet. I don't know what it is or how it works, but it makes you see things. Things that were... indescribable." Fishlegs frowned in sympathy, trying to push back his nerves and choosing not to pry any further into the details of what she had witnessed.  
"Those humans. They're probably still there, aren't they?"  
"Yes," Valka stated. "Which is all the more reason for us to be quick."

"Hey, you might wanna check this out!"  
Tuffnut's voice pierced the relative quiet of the village ruins, causing every other rider to raise their heads and hurry over to him and his sister. They were looking at some of the wooden pillars that still stood, closely examining the ash and burn marks.  
"What, you selective eggheads found something here too?" Snotlout said with some disdain.  
"Indeed, my dear Snotlout!" Tuffnut said with a grand tone to his voice, stretching out his arms. "Behold! The telltale signs... of a fire!"  
The group remained dead quiet at the rather... obvious observation.  
"Well, don't all congratulate me all at once. I thought it was important." he said with a shrug.  
"We already know there was a fire of some kind, Tuffnut," Fishlegs explained with a roll of his eyes. "That's the reason why this place is abandoned."  
"No, no, no, you're not listening!" Ruffnut yelled. "A fire! Not a dragon fire, not a volcanic fire! _Fire!_ Like _our_ fires!"  
"Our fires?" Valka questioned before she snapped her fingers at the idea falling into place. "You mean..."  
"That's right. _Human_ created fire..." Tuffnut confirmed, waving his hands in a 'spooky' motion to exacerbate the fact. "There wasn't a cataclysm thingy here at all. All these buildings burned down because of torches. And only people can use those, right?"  
"But that's stupid! You're saying they destroyed their own village and then vanished underground?" Snotlout queried.  
"That's kind of why I'm saying it, yeah," Tuffnut said with a nod.  
"It's pretty obvious, really," Ruffnut added. "You can see it in all the marks, no dragon could be this lazy at burning stufff."  
"The workmanship is a little sloppy," Tuffnut concurred. "I would've used a different technique to get all of it turned to dust, but not bad for a first attempt."

The new information troubled Valka greatly. It confused her understanding of these people even more than when she had little to go on. Before, they were just evil, no different than the trappers and dragon hunters of the world that she fought against. But hearing that they would've have done this destruction and eventual isolation to themselves? That wouldn't make them just evil, they'd have to be insane. Dangerously insane. They had claimed that something from beneath the island had forced them to flee their homes when it destroyed everything above the ground. But now they had found evidence to suggest that the villagers had done it themselves en masse.

Were they lying? What reason would they have to? Either explanation for their grand move into the caves didn't excuse their horrendous action against her dragons. They would have no reason to make up the story. And setting all that aside, they still had Hiccup and Toothless. And now Astrid and Stormfly. Killers were killers, no matter the reason they used as justification for their killing. But Valka couldn't stop the persistent doubt cropping up in her head.

Something didn't fit. Not at all.

* * *

Hiccup's head was pounding. Like someone had put it on an anvil and started hammering away, it wouldn't stop. He'd never had a headache like it. The throbs of pain radiated at the back of his head from his wound, his face grimacing from each one that pulsed through his skull. Ever since he had seen Astrid get... attacked, it had persisted. Like the very act of seeing such a horrible thing was starting to take a toll on his brain. Blood still oozed from the injury, hot and thick as it ran through his hair and seeped into his clothes. He thought it had dried up long ago, but the bleeding had started again. Concussion was all but confirmed. His hands clung onto Toothless' saddle handles for dear life as he grit his teeth, trying to keep himself awake and composed. He was relieved to see that Toothless' own loss of blood had ceased, as much as the wing was still in desperate need of attention. His dragon was strong after all, braver than anyone he'd known. As long as he had Toothless, he knew they'd get out.

Toothless himself wasn't as convinced. He may have had a broken wing, but his Hiccup had taken a far more serious injury to his head. He knew the Viking would play it down. Say he was fine, deny the possibility of concussion, even try and act like the horrible event from earlier had never been. Even now, feeling his rider slumped in the saddle like he'd lost all the energy in his body and occasionally hissing to himself in discomfort from his head, it plagued the dragon's soul. He crooned worryingly, looking up from his tracking job and turning his back to try and lick at Hiccup's face.

 _'You don't look well... I'll get us out of here, I promise.'_

Hiccup managed a smile through his pain, pushing himself up in the saddle and eagerly pushing his cheek toward the lick, regardless of the mess. His hands left the saddle and once again tried to wrap around Toothless' neck as tightly as he could manage without being a source of annoyance. He didn't know he had the capacity to be this clingy. He nodded with a grunt, keeping his body as upright as he could sat in the saddle like this.  
"Don't worry about me, bud. You're doin' great. Just keep going."  
Toothless frowned, giving him another nuzzle before turning back to his job. See? He knew Hiccup would say something like that. All the more reason to find a way out.

A breakthrough came mere seconds after that exchange. As Toothless rounded a corner, they came into the entrance of another large chamber, one that seemed to be almost identical to the one they had reunited in. It could've been the same one and they'd just gone in circles. It'd be easy to assume that since it all looked the same, but the Night Fury would be happy to say that his sense of smell hadn't failed him. The people responsible had been here and they had been here recently. However, it was another familiar scent that got Toothless' attention rather than that. The dragon arched his head up from the ground, his ear plates raising up to show that something had him on alert. Hiccup looked up himself, resting on his elbows against the saddle.  
"What is it, bud?"  
Toothless' big eyes scanned the dark, trying to see anything. Surely she couldn't actually be here? What if it was another trick? He looked back at Hiccup with a brief vibration. No red eyes. And he didn't think he had them either. Maybe it was real after all?

And that's when the light came down the tunnel ahead of them. Coming around a corner from the right, a sparkling, crackling light almost pyrotechnical in nature. Toothless knew that fire anywhere, the fire of a Deadly Nadder. To his gigantic relief, he saw both Astrid and Stormfly rushing towards them, the Viking picking up her pace even more so when she saw the outline of Toothless' head from the lantern.  
"Toothless!" she cried, hurrying to his side and gently squeezing around his neck, "Oh, thank the Gods, you're alright. Is Hiccup with yo-"  
She didn't get to finish when she felt a pair of human hands brush over her own. She stepped back and looked upon Toothless' saddle, giving a huge sigh to calm her nerves.  
"Hiccup! I was so worried, I thought I'd never find you!"  
"Huh...?" Hiccup replied weakly, looking at though he was trying to strain his eyes to see who was here. He couldn't tell whether he was hallucinating with this head wound. His body slipped off the saddle to Toothless' left, not gracefully or as easily as he usually managed it, causing him to stumble a little. In an instant, Toothless' head came down to give him something to lean on, the Viking smiling down at his dragon gratefully as he turned his attention back to who had spoken to him. Astrid took a few steps forward and nudged him lightly on his chest with her fist, holding onto his arms with a fierce grip.  
"You big dolt... you've been gone for _days_. What on Odin's green earth took hold of you to drag you all the way out here?"

To Astrid's surprise, Hiccup wasn't looking at her with the positive expression she expected when she said that. His eyes had widened, his brow raised and creased. He looked... hesitant. Even downright afraid. He kept his hands firmly clenched into fists as she held his arms, unsure whether to believe she was real. Astrid had said those exact same words to him last they had seen other. When he'd watched her get stabbed in the back, literally. Hiccup's body shifted a little away from her, his gaze unbroken from her own but his words were not directed to her.  
"Are you seeing this too, bud...?" he asked Toothless. The Night Fury looked at Astrid, seeming apologetic for his human's behavior as he nodded his head, giving Hiccup a gentle push at his side with his snout.

Astrid didn't know what to say. Hiccup looked awful. His flying leathers were burnt and torn, his hair was even messier than usual. Blood ran in a stream down his brow and the dark red was matting the top of his head, reflecting in the light of his lantern and Stormfly's fire. Toothless wasn't in a much better state either, the way that his wing had almost snapped and was bunched up uncomfortably against his side showing obviously that they'd gotten into big trouble. Hiccup raised up a hand, brushing it against Astrid's upper arm as if to test his perception.  
"...you're real, right?"  
"Hiccup, of course I'm real," she assured him, trying to keep a positive face and attitude despite her boyfriend's lack of belief. "What happened to you...?"  
She didn't get an answer apart from him suddenly falling to the ground. Astrid gasped and knelt down to his level, rewarded when he gave her a tight squeezing around her torso. Tighter than even she could manage at times, the breath being forced out of her. Her frown persisted as she brushed his blood-stained hair out of his eyes, keeping her other arm wrapped around his waist.  
"Are you alright?"  
"Just peachy. I've only been going crazy down here."  
Astrid couldn't help but smile. At least his sense of humor hadn't been hurt. She nodded her head, knowing this would not be the time or place to pry into what had happened. Right now, they needed to leave.  
"Come on, get up on Toothless' saddle. We're going home."  
"I wouldn't be too sure of that, dragon rider. You're needed for something else much more important."

At that moment, Astrid whirled her head around to be confronted with a group of the masked individuals. At least 5 of them blocked the path they just came down, a sea of red robes filling the cave. She cursed under her breath, knowing she should've been more subtle about getting information. They must've followed her. In an instant, Toothless jumped in front of the two riders, growling threateningly at their captors with hunched down posing and opening his jaws ready to fire.

 _'Get back! You won't hurt them!'_

"You didn't think we wouldn't notice you'd snuck in here, did you?" said the leader, one that Astrid recognized the voice of. It was the same one who had conducted their ceremony when she first arrived. It proved how important they were to these crazies if he was down here. She turned her attention back to Hiccup, seeing how his head had slumped downwards. It was only then that she noticed the severity of that injury on his head. He grunted in pain as another throb of agony coursed through him, accompanied by a small leak of blood. They didn't have much time.  
"Astrid, we can't fight back... they'll get in your head too..."  
"Hiccup, stay with me, OK?" she pleaded, not wanting to question what he meant. "We're going to get out of here."  
"Doubtful."  
A voice from behind them, female this time, made Astrid whirl her focus around to the other side of the chamber. More of the village residents had appeared there too, huddled in a group that now blocked off the way that Hiccup and Toothless had come from. Another muttered curse left Astrid's mouth. Of couse they had. They knew these tunnels better than anyone else would. Stormfly did her part too, standing between the rear group and giving off an angry hiss to keep them back. But even with Toothless warning off one side and Stormfly threatening another, it was clear they had been surrounded.

"What do you want from us? Just let us go!" Astrid yelled, Stormfly emphasising her demand with a flutter of her spikes.  
"You're going to come with us. It's time you took part in placating the Fearsyfon and keeping the rest of us, the rest of _the world_ , safe," the leader replied, the tone of his voice coming across patronizing. It was like it was funny how the two Vikings didn't see the importance of their work.  
"We're not going to be part of any of your stupid ideas..." mumbled Hiccup, forcing himself to his feet with a look of grim determination on his face. "People and dragons are not yours to use! No matter what's down here, their lives are not less than yours!"  
"So you would rather the Fearsyfon corrupt everything? Just like it's corrupted you?" The leader had to snicker. "Don't look so shocked. Surely you must've realised it's wormed its way into your head. You've seen what it can do the minds of mere men." Hiccup bore his teeth in a frustrated growl, Toothless mirroring his action with one of his own.

 _'Monster! Killer! You stay back from my Hiccup!'_

"You've _killed_ people!" Hiccup yelled. "Just like you've tried to kill us!"  
"Oh, dear boy, we don't kill people in the Maze. We prepare them for the task at hand."  
"What's that supposed to mean?" Astrid spat. "You just lock them in here for... what?!"  
" _Fear_. Everything we do, everything the Fearsyfon demands, has to do with _fear_ ," the leader explained. Maybe it was cliche that he explained their intention. But maybe with these ones he could convince them that this was for a good reason. After all, dragon riders weren't stupid. They couldn't be if they could tame fire breathing beasts.

"What's the most primal emotion that every living thing experiences? The self-preservation instinct. The fear of one's own end. Fear is what drives every creature on this earth to survive, to endure, to carry on. Afraid of the dark, afraid of predators, afraid of what we don't understand... afraid of losing those dear to us. _Everything_ has a fear. And the Fearsyfon knows this."  
Hiccup felt a chill move up his spine at the last mention of a particular phobia. It was one he had seen too many times today.  
"When we were in our village on the surface, it awoke beneath us. It destroyed our village, corrupted our minds with our greatest anxieties made real and it would do so again and again until we made a pact. A pact to keep us all safe. We take our Sacrifices, keep them in the Maze so that the Fearsyfon can do the same to them. Show them their fears, make their hearts and blood tainted with the primal energy, the thing that induces fear in all of us. And then it feasts on that blood. It lets us live when we sate it and leaves our minds intact. If we don't do this, it will unleash its wrath again. We are the _only_ ones capable of stopping it from escaping to the rest of the world!"  
The leader motioned one of his hands to the masked ones on either side of him, prompting them to move forward to take their Sacrifices whole.  
"Don't let your dragons try anything. I don't think any of you are in the fighting state to resist all of us." Indeed, they had strength in numbers. Even if the dragons did resist, they wouldn't be able to do much before being pinned down. They had no choice.  
"You're _inhuman_..." Hiccup muttered with revile as the other members drew their weapons to force the riders and dragons to walk. The leader responded by taking off his mask, a thin grin stretching across his translucent skin and only adding to the unsettling appearance of those crimson shaded eyes.

"Well... you're never quite the same after seeing what we have, are you?"

* * *

Hiccup couldn't blame anyone but himself for this. As he, Astrid, Toothless and Stormfly were held at knifepoint towards what could be their untimely deaths, all he could think about was how sorry he was. How utterly he was begging for forgiveness in his head at dragging three of his closest companions to join him in Valhalla. He was supposed to protect them. He was their _chief_. Now he might as well be the one holding the knife. Maybe Drago had a point after all when he mocked his ability all those years ago.

Toothless could sense his human was hurting. And it made him hurt too. Hiccup was in pain not just physically, but close to breaking point with all he had witnessed down here. The Night Fury vowed to find a way out. He couldn't let this happen to him and his friends, he _couldn't._ But the further they marched, the less possibilities he could think of. Had time truly ran out for them?

A few minutes later, the four of them were stood near the edge of the square pit. At the very same corner Astrid had seen a man be drained of his blood in the most horrific way possible. It was obvious what was going to be done to them. The masked strangers kicked at the humans' back legs, forcing them down onto their knees. At the same time, at least three of the villagers restrained each dragon down as well, as much as the beasts were struggling wildly against it. One of them pressed down on Toothless' injured wing, causing him to howl in distress and cease his struggle.

 _'Get off me!'_

"Toothless!" Hiccup cried, trying to move towards his dragon but unable to from the fierce grip of his captor. "It's gonna be OK, bud, I promise! I'll get us out of here!"  
"You're more than welcome to try. But I don't think you'll get far," the leader said with a roll of his shoulders. He'd heard the same pleas of resistance, the same rebellious claims more times than he could count. It was a shame. He thought two riders coming from somewhere like Berk would be more than rational enough to understand their deaths would mean something. A nod of his head caused his subordinates to push their captives further into the ground, making them lean over the edge of the pit and stare into the abyss.  
"If you're not willing to listen, then maybe you should _see_."

As Hiccup and Astrid stared down into the depths against their will, their breathing echoing against the seemingly endless stone walls, a sharp stabbing pain suddenly hit Hiccup in the back of his head like an axe blade. He yelled aloud from the severity, more blood starting to run out of the wound and down the back of his neck. Astrid noticed it immediately.  
"Hiccup! Are you alright? Are you..."  
He didn't answer her immediately. But she didn't know what to say either. When he opened his eyes after his harsh wince, Astrid stared into Hiccup's eyes. They'd changed.  
The irises had turned red.  
As Hiccup stared back at her, his mouth too opened in shock at what he saw when his vision came back to him.  
Astrid's irises had turned red.  
The pair of them whipped their heads around towards their dragons, trying to see if they had been affected by the pit as well.  
Stormfly's eyes had turned red, her movements becoming jittery and frantic as the signs of anxiety began to set in.  
Toothless' eyes had turned red, roaring in distress when he saw that his rider was exactly the same way as before. The same as when he tried to kill himself.

 _'Hiccup! Your eyes...!'_

"Don't look!" Hiccup screamed, his voice echoing into the pit. "Whatever you see, whatever you think you're seeing, it's not real! It's not real!"  
"Hiccup, what're you-?" Astrid started, taken aback by the desperation in his voice.  
"Astrid, trust me! Just DON'T LOOK!" Hiccup begged her. She complied and screwed her eyes shut, Stormfly mirroring her as she tried to shield her head with her wings. Hiccup turned back to Toothless as his voice threatened to break, seeing that his dragon was already starting to panic. The visions were already settling in because of his prolonged exposure to the Fearsyfon's power compared to Astrid and Stormfly, the Night Fury's head thrashing around as those blood red eyes turned wide and fearful.

 _'Hiccup...? Hiccup?! Where did you go?! Come back! Don't leave me! Please don't leave me alone!'_

"Toothless! Bud! I'm right here, bud!" Hiccup yelled, trying to snap his other half out of his trance. "Whatever you're seeing, I'm here! I'm fine, I'm not going anywhere!"  
Telling and doing were two separate things though. The leader had to laugh at the attempt to resist the Fearsyfon's power. Many had tried. All of them had failed.  
"Oh, you'll be going somewhere, dragon rider. Into the abyss were you'll protect us all from what awaits down there." A fluid movement of his arm suddenly had the leader's hand clasped around Hiccup's lower jaw, forcing his head to look down into the void beneath them. "Take a look. Maybe then you'll understand what your death will prevent from being unleashed upon the world. Upon your island."

Hiccup opened one of his eyes, knowing that he had no choice. As a bright red iris peered into the overflowing darkness from a hole that looked deep enough to reach the center of the planet, he gasped.  
What he saw didn't make sense. And it certainly wasn't what he expected.


	7. Vindication

**How To Train Your Dragon:** **Perturbation  
** **Chapter 7: Vindication**

* * *

There was nothing. As much as Hiccup had partially hoped there was so he could get some answers, the thing this group followed, the dreaded Fearsyfon was... nothing. No gigantic creature, no threatening supernatural force, no terrifying construct that could have been conjured by what had consumed Hiccup's eyes. Apart from sensing the nauseating stench of rotting blood rising from the depths of the pit where countless people had met their ends, he saw nothing. Only a darkness that his eyes were still trying to adjust to. Whatever was down there wasn't showing itself to greet them. There was no movement, no sound, no color.  
The hole was simply empty.

 _'That can't be right...'_ Hiccup thought, his eyes now both open but squinting hard into the black. _'How can there be nothing? It's doing something to us right now!'_  
"Now do you see?" asked the leader, leaning in close to Hiccup to hiss the question in his ear. His voice had a tone of glee to it, almost like he was glad to see the culmination of their efforts. The notes, the little hints of escape, the threat of losing his dragon... all of it had been engineered to drive the Viking to breaking point. This was sure to do it. But despite the young chieftain's eyes still burning with a ferocious red color, despite the fact that the power of fear was starting to manifest accusing and malicious whispered voices in his head, there wasn't anything Hiccup could describe. He had no answer to the leader's question. The Fearsyfon wasn't there.

"I don't see anything..." Hiccup mumbled, sounding like all of his energy had been drained. He turned his head to his dragon, watching with a twist in his stomach as Toothless started to roar in alarm.  
"Hiccup, what's happening?" Astrid yelled from her hunched down pose, her eyes still screwed shut like Stormfly's.  
"I-I don't know, I'm trying to work it out!" he cried back, having to set this out logically in his head. Think. Toothless is scared. Astrid and Stormfly are safe. Focus on him first, then work out what is going on.  
"Please, let me help Toothless...!" Hiccup pleaded, eyes still shining that blood red colour. The leader clutched harder at his jaw, seemingly outraged at the defiance of the comment. He was more concerned with the beast than the Fearsyfon?  
"Look _harder_ , boy! Many have tried to deny it, but it's still waiting for you!"  
"I don't know what you want me to look at!" Hiccup shouted back, still trying to struggle against his captor's grip to reach his Night Fury. "It's empty! Now let me help my dragon!" he cried again.

The leader briefly glanced over the to flailing Toothless, seeing him struggle against the other villagers with alarmingly increasing strength. The Fearsyfon had surely claimed that one completely to set it in such a state.  
"And why should I allow that?" he asked, infuriated that he would deny the Fearsyfon's power. "He's in the perfect state of mind for a Sacrifice. As are you!"  
"Because if he gets out of control before you do that, you won't be able to stop him! He'll destroy everything in here and I'm the _only_ one who can prevent that from happening..." Hiccup said that last part calmly and with particular emphasis, using the leader's own phrasing about their work against him. The cultist scowled. The rider would know a dragon's capabilities better than anyone. Best not to risk it. With a look of disdain, he relaxed his grip from Hiccup's jaw and shoved him against the ground towards Toothless. This wouldn't save him or anyone. Just a temporary delay to what needed to happen. Hiccup was relieved his gamble of exaggerating a Night Fury's abilities had paid off. It bought him enough time to think.

"Toothless! Come on, come back to me, bud..." he cooed, hurrying over to his dragon's head and keeping it still as best he could. "I know you're still in there..." The scene played out in a horrible sense of deja vu, the Viking feeling like time was repeating itself from just hours ago in that chamber. Toothless' eyes were that same sickly red. His face still had that disturbed and terrified expression. His movements were just as jittery and wild as before.

 _'No! I didn't kill him! I would never...! I couldn't... Hiccup! Please, COME BACK!'_

Hiccup had no way of knowing what Toothless was being forced to see. He couldn't tell his dragon had just seen his beloved rider fall into that pit, struck down by a fireball. A fireball he had conjured up. And now the voices were taunting him, screaming at him in madness for what he'd done. Valka, Astrid, Drago, the riders, the other dragons, everyone. They all yelled and shouted and cried at him and he couldn't make them stop.  
Even Hiccup's voice was there.

 _It's all your fault!_  
 _You killed him!_  
 _You'll kill everyone who ever loved you..._  
 _You don't deserve to be the Alpha!_  
 _We trusted you..._  
 _You never deserved to be his!_  
 _Worthless..._  
 _Filthy creature..._  
 _What shame he must feel!_

 _Why, bud?_  
 _Why did you kill me...?_  
 _I thought we were..._

Toothless' eyes were streaming tears without a filter, the dragon howling and crooning and begging whatever was out there to make it stop. Hiccup bit his lower lip as he brought his head close to the Night Fury's own, gripping onto those open jaws and talking loudly to snap him out of it.  
"Toothless! Come on, bud, it isn't real! I'm right here!"  
The dragon blanked him, the thrashing ceasing and being replaced with trembles running down his spines. It was awful to see. To see your best friend in such a state of terror and being nearly powerless to help. Hiccup's arms twitched, physically jolting Toothless' head downwards as if to physically shake him free.  
"Wake up, Toothless! Don't listen to it! Wake UP!"

In a moment of reprieve, Toothless responded. He blinked rapidly, like he'd just woken up from a long sleep. The red color didn't fade, but the dragon did seem to be in command of his own faculties once again as his shivering stopped. A particular blink sent a bead of moisture rolling over the dragon's cheek as he pushed forward into Hiccup's hands, screwing his eyes shut. He knew it had happened again, that he'd lost control under the influence of that... thing. Just like with Drago. He felt weak. And he hated it. Some strong Alpha he was. He hated everything about this. He hated this place, he hated the people, he hated being forced to confront the guilt and terror... and he hated forcing Hiccup to feel so bad about him. He exhaled harshly with a whimper and leaned into the human's touch with a sniff.

 _'No more... I want to go home... I just want to go home...'_

That noise broke Hiccup's heart. He clenched into the dragon's scale and hummed, keeping his voice low so no one else could hear him.  
"Shhh, Toothless... I'll get us out of here, I promise... just bear with me a little longer, OK?" Hiccup whispered, pressing his cheek against the Night Fury's ear. His dragon had almost cracked. This had to stop. As he comforted Toothless, he was glad to see that Astrid and Stormfly were still keeping their eyes shut in his peripheral vision. Now was the time to think on why. Noticing a little fact began to brew a curiosity in Hiccup's brain, even with the whispers of something else starting to make his thoughts feel messy.

Astrid and Stormfly hadn't been affected. Even with the telltale symptom of those red eyes, they hadn't been touched by this things' power. They'd not been forced to witness their worst fears, they weren't freaking out apart from the initial anxiety of what these cultists were going to do to them. If the Fearsyfon was truly supposed to be as powerful as these people said it was, all of them should have been gripped in the same fear that Toothless had just been. Hiccup had seen their eyes change color, he'd seen the signs that it was inevitable. But nothing happened. And most confusingly of all, Hiccup hadn't seen the origin of what should've caused it. This Fearsyfon was nowhere to be seen, like it didn't exist. But the villagers were so adamant that it did and the effects it had on them most certainly were real.

He had to get answers. He needed the truth. Hiccup stood. He looked brave, protective. Furious. This ended now.

* * *

"I think we've found them..." Valka murmured. Only a short walk away from the destroyed ruins of the village, she and the other riders had found the cavern entrance thanks to their dragons' efforts of tracking down human scents. Though they initially had some trouble because of how many there were to detect, potentially hundreds of traces of humans throughout this place. That fact alone made it easy for even non-Tracker dragons to pick up on.

Now, thanks to the discovery by Hookfang (and Snotlout trying to take credit), the same hole that Astrid found was before the riders. The one where countless possessions rested in the blades of grass surrounding it, never to be reclaimed by their owners. Valka's eyes were scanning over the pile, her heart in her throat as she prayed to the Gods that Hiccup's things weren't here. She felt blessed to see they weren't. The people down there would usually throw these things away, break the spirits of their captives knowing they wouldn't be able to use what they had on them to escape. All in perfect time for their sacrifices. But if Hiccup's things weren't here, maybe they hadn't caught him? Or maybe Astrid had found them? It was impossible to say.

"Who'd throw out a perfectly good sword like this?" Tuffnut remarked, picking up such a weapon and looking over it. "Stupid villagers. First they trash their own houses and then go live in a cave. Who'd do something like that?"  
"You did," his sister remarked dryly. "You did it on a dare last Snoggletog."  
"You were the one who dared me!"  
"And it was _totally_ worth it."  
"Guys!" Snotlout interrupted. "Can we please focus? Hookfang and I found this cave for a reason because it looked important. If Hiccup and Astrid are down there, we can't sit around reminiscing of the times you were stupid! Of which there were _many_!"  
"Yeah!" Fishlegs agreed with an obvious stammer in his voice. "W-what if there's a new species of dragon down there? What if it's the thing th-that made these guys go crazy and d-destroy their village?!"  
"Be calm, young ones," Valka said firmly, Cloudjumper agreeing with an approving rumble as she took a step forward. The passage was narrower than expected, but just wide enough to allow a Stormcutter through, meaning it would be fine for the other dragons. "We have to be quick in here. The thing that's down there works fast if you're exposed to it for too long. Hiccup and Astrid will probably not be in a good state, so getting them and their dragons out is our priority. Be fast, be quiet and _stay with your dragon_. I'm not losing any one else. Understood?"  
The way that Valka said that last part with such conviction was enough to shut the group up. The time for jovial antics would come later. They had a chief to save.

Valka led the pack into the caverns, in single file. She went first with Cloudjumper, Snotlout and Hookfang behind her. The twins and Barf & Belch were next and Fishlegs covered the rear with Meatlug (much to his own relief). The chief's mother was trying to search through the scraps of memory she had left to remember the way to go. The way the musty air was assaulting her senses wasn't helping, the damp and fungal smell of the cave walls and mushrooms making it difficult to concentrate. She had a vague recollection. She followed some of the other Trackers down this way... then there was a left... possibly a right. And that's when she had found their new village, in the giant main chamber. It was easy enough to find and as long as they didn't go into the Maze, they'd be fine.  
Yes, that was right. She hoped.

As the caves pulled them ever deeper and the walls began to expand outwards, the riders were able to walk outside of their queue-like formation, much to the benefit of the dragons who felt their wings were cramping up. Cloudjumper kept his head low, near to Valka to reassure her he was still there. Her hand never left his side as she took a brief glance behind her to make sure the other Vikings were doing the same. Good. Still all together. She could breathe a little easier in that knowledge. Though what she saw next was enough to dissipate that completely. When she saw Hiccup on the floor.

Valka paused in her walk with a sharp inhale of breath, her eyes wide in shock. Hiccup was sprawled out only meters away from her. He was grimacing and groaning in pain, a river of blood having nearly coated one side of his face. He was clutching at his stomach like he'd been wounded there, a trail of red following his limp legs as though he'd made a big effort to drag his wrecked body this far to meet her. He spluttered, a sudden burst of crimson fluid leaking from his mouth as he grit his teeth.  
"M-Mom... help... h-help me..."  
Valka was speechless. Her muscles refused to move as anxiety crept into her chest, weighing it down. She knew that logically it couldn't be possible. Her biggest fear was losing those close to her, losing Hiccup in such a vile way. And it was happening right now. It was almost too close a match.  
"I-I never should've left... help...!"  
Seeing this, this perfect manifestation of what would break her... it couldn't be real. This place did that to you. It showed you everything you didn't want to see, like it was plucked straight out of the recesses of your mind. It was almost too good an illusion, too perfect a sight of something. It was like these walls knew what made your heart shrivel under the crushing weight of fear.

But Valka's emotional side, the one that contained her maternal instinct to protect and care for her son, didn't care about the impossible nature of what she saw. It was screaming at her to set that aside. It was screaming loud enough to drown everything else out, the battered and beaten vision of her own flesh and blood making her body want her to act. She couldn't just stand there. She had to help him! How could she be so cruel to doubt Hiccup in this way when he needed her most? Hiccup strained again, trying to speak as his body scraped against the stone of the ground in an effort to reach her, his own face wet with blood and tears.  
"P-Please! Th-They just killed them...! They k-killed Toothless a-and... and Astrid and... I-I can't..."

"Uh, Hiccup's mom? You OK?"  
Snotlout's voice suddenly caught Valka's attention, snapping her out of her trance. That wouldn't have been enough to allow her logical side to win over feelings if it weren't for the fact that Snotlout had walked in front of her. And was stood right where Hiccup was. The other rider had just phased through him like he was a ghost.  
"Whoa!" Snotlout blurted out, having wondered why she'd just stopped. "What happened to your eyes? Not enough sleep?"  
Valka blinked a few times as though she wasn't sure where she was.  
"Wha...?"  
She turned her head to Cloudjumper, the big dragon staring down at her in concern. She saw herself reflected in those gigantic amber orbs of his. Her own were distinctly red. Valka screwed her eyes shut, shuddering to try and focus. Cloudjumper nuzzled her, nudging her shoulder to make sure she wasn't having a problem.

 _'Are you alright, dear one?'_

Valka nodded her head like she'd read the Stormcutter's mind. So the power's influence could still claim you even all this time later. Years after being exposed and it was already working on her due to her prior experience.  
"I'm fine. Come on, we need to keep moving." The other riders didn't question it, but the strangeness of the situation did make them wonder what had happened.  
"Wonder what her problem is..." muttered Tuffnut, choosing to think nothing of it as he began to follow in his usual absent minded way. None of them seemed too bothered by the brief hold up. It was probably some weird, feral, dragon lady thing.  
Hiccup disagreed.

"Mom...? M-Mom?! Where are you going...?!"  
Valka grimaced as she heard the voice hit her ears, her grip on Cloudjumper's scale only hardening for support as she walked further away from him.  
 _'It's not him, Valka. He's not real,'_ she thought to herself, knowing that it was a ruse to make her stay and become more corrupted.  
"Mom! Please, don't leave me here! Please!"  
 _'Ignore it...'_  
"Don't abandon me again! I'm begging you!"  
 _"Gods, help me ignore it...'_  
"MOM!"  
Valka could still hear him shouting, pleading her to come back as she rounded the corner she had initially been looking for. The passageway was dark, masking the tear that slipped out from her eye. She hoped she was right in her choice. She couldn't live with it if she was wrong.

And that was when the group heard the howl. A pained, awful, echoing howl that seemed to pierce their ears from the intensity it wrought from the blackness of the caves before them. It was clear what it was. It belonged to a dragon, a dragon gripped by the exact same fear that Valka herself had only felt moments ago. And it was a...  
"Night Fury," she whispered to herself. Toothless was in danger. And if he was in trouble, so was Hiccup. She whipped her body around to the other riders, thrusting her staff in the direction of the darkness. They needed to see and they needed to attack. No chance to be subtle now. "We can't wait any longer! Snotlout! Light up Hookfang and get in there, we're out of time!"  
"Roger that!" the youth cried. He thrust a hand forward, gesturing the Monstrous Nightmare to follow the former Dragon Thief's commands. The bulky red male condoned with a fierce growl, his body erupting in fire that enveloped him like a liquid. Snotlout jumped into the saddle and the group began to run after the source of heat. As the twins and Fishlegs hurried by with yells for Snotlout to slow down (and one particularly scathing remark about Tuffnut hoping he'd burn a little), Valka pursued them with Cloudjumper by her side. The Stormcutter briefly looked at her as they ran, determined to keep her safe from whatever would come their way.

Even any visions that could be conjured by those shining red eyes of his human.

* * *

"Alright, that's enough! What's down there? What _is_ a Fearsyfon?"  
Hiccup's question seemed to stump the other villagers. Like such a question was blasphemy or because it was laughably obvious or even because no one had thought to ask it. It was hard to say what. Nevertheless, they took a moment to respond to him as the leader let out a snicker.  
"Really? You think _this_ is going to be enough to stop your fate?"  
"Look, as much as I would really like to be a part of your wacky killing-everyone-shindig you have going on here, I can't see what you're talking about!" Hiccup yelled, gesturing his arms towards the pit, though not leaving Toothless' side. "All of the sacrifice, all of the murder and for what? An empty hole in a cave? C-Can you not see how _insane_ that sounds?"  
"Be silent, whelp!" someone from the back of the group sneered. "Any who try to deny the Fearsyfon's power will be consumed by it!"  
"Then why didn't it take over my friends?!" came the reply. "Huh? Why are Astrid and Stormfly safe? You scream and yell and demand we take part in your rituals or our greatest fears get shown to us. So why not them?"

The villagers mumbled among themselves. They hadn't realized that was the case until just now. At hearing this question, Astrid and Stormfly slowly opened their eyes, looking around cautiously as if to check that it was alright. Hiccup stared at them, trying to see their eye color. Still red, probably just like his own. But they were still acting normally, the only fear they were showing was the anxious wait for answers and what would come next. Astrid turned to Hiccup even though still restrained by the group.  
"Hiccup...?" she questioned, confused as to what he was getting at.  
"Astrid, look into the pit!" Hiccup yelled back at her. This would prove his point. "Go on, look and tell me what you see down there!" His girlfriend frowned and leaned forward precariously as best she could in her position. Her eyes scanned the darkness, trying to see anything.  
"There's... nothing there. It's empty."  
"Lies!" the leader suddenly screamed, stepping forward towards Astrid with a knife and suddenly pulling her back, pressing it against her throat.  
"Get off me!"  
"This has gone on long enough, enough of your deceptions! You _will_ sate the Fearsyfon now!"

Toothless, now properly back in control save for his eye color, snarled ferociously at seeing Astrid in danger. His protective energy returned to him, like a unlimited well he could tap into when he needed to defend his humans. Just like Hiccup, he couldn't stand to see this any longer. No one else would die today, he swore it. Toothless strained hard against the others holding him down, pushing past the pain of his broken wing and kicking away the villagers with a flex of his body. He managed to succeed in a matter of seconds, throwing them off and hunching down with a fierce growl.

 _'Don't touch her!'_

Hiccup almost dared a smile at seeing his dragon accomplish his escape, holding out a hand towards the Night Fury to keep him still.  
"Hold, bud..." Hiccup ordered, scowling at the leader. "Let her go. _Now_."  
"You can't stop this, dragon rider!" his enemy sneered, his red eyes wide as though the force that consumed them was starting to drive him manic. "No one can!" He raised the knife and suddenly began to plunge downwards. Might as well get the first sacrifice done, better than nothing.

"Toothless, fire!"  
In an instant, the Night Fury's jaws parted and a single burst of plasma shot out from between his teeth. It ricocheted off the floor near the leader's feet, the sudden burst of heat enough to make him drop his weapon in shock and make everyone else flinch. Only a warning shot, but it would put across the point perfectly. The burning sphere kept travelling off to one of the far walls of the chamber, bouncing once more before it hit the ground near the main entrance to the village.

In an instant, a huge fireball ripped through the relative silence of the gathering, everyone nearby crying out in alarm from the intense heat and sheer size of it. Hiccup winced, bracing his face with his hands to try and save his vision from the brightness. That didn't make sense. Toothless could pack a punch with his plasma blasts if he wanted to, but that was near ten times the magnitude of a normal impact. How on earth had he managed that?  
"Fool! You'll kill us all with that!" a villager screamed, the other cultists shouting among themselves in a panic at such a tremendous reaction. They knew that would happen? Hiccup eventually lowered his bracers, glancing over to the impact zone where the fire was still raging strong. He could barely make out the slowly burning forms of the abundant mushrooms at the base, shriveling up and turning black as the bright purple flame consumed them.

That explosion was just like the one that had brought Hiccup and Toothless down in the first place. A huge fireball with destructive capability and heat strong enough to sear and burn dragon scale. The fungi that ran rabid in this place must've been up on the Syfon Rocks somewhere. A single fire arrow would've been enough to set off that cascade of boulder and debris if they didn't check properly. These people must have used the plants to trap them down by chance, aware that they could do some real damage. The mushrooms were probably able to amplify the abilities of dragon fire somehow, just like how other plant life would affect dragons in a negative way. That was one mystery solved at least.

And that was when Hiccup had a brainwave.

The pieces started to fall into place the more he thought about it. These plants... he'd seen them before. They had been everywhere in this cave system. In the tunnels, in the chambers, even in here. Sprouting up everywhere.  
When he had first woken up and started his journey through this wretched maze, he'd seen these mushrooms accompany the rock formations. Moments later, he thought he had heard Toothless when he had actually encountered the first stranger.  
When he had been attacked by the second crazed prisoner and been convinced he had killed Toothless by his own hand, the fungi had been there, sprouting up from the ground.  
When Toothless had been taken over by the force in these caves and hallucinated Drago Bludvist committing murder, Hiccup had seen the mushrooms around the cave entrance in clusters.  
When he thought he had seen Astrid die and yet he had come close to killing himself instead, the plants had been no more than inches away his feet.  
Even now in this gigantic chamber, the mushrooms were everywhere, though smouldering and burning and adding an even heavier musty scent in the air. At sensing it, Hiccup's head suddenly throbbed with pain again, causing him to clutch at one of his temples as another small leak of blood ran down his neck.

It all made sense. At every instant where these plants had been, Hiccup had been terrorized by visions and delusions of his worst fears. Everywhere Toothless had been, the dragon had been mortified by the horrors he had been made to witness and feel. Hiccup knew how it had happened from Fishlegs' botany book. They must have inhaled what the mushrooms gave off throughout their long captivity, allowed it to take a hold of their thoughts like the symptom of a disease. They'd been breathing it in even when they were unconscious after being captured. It wasn't madness, it wasn't a sign of being possessed. The red eyes, the horrifying hallucinations, the spikes of agony that pierced Hiccup's skull.

They weren't being taken over by a mystical force called the Fearsyfon.

They were being _poisoned_. _Infected_.

Astrid and Stormfly were fine, but of course they would be. They had not been exposed to it for nearly as long as they had. It had yet to take hold because they hadn't breathed as much of it it in.  
The villagers would've been inhaling it for years, slowly corrupting their minds with paranoia and fueling the need to keep these sacrifices going in the vain hope it would somehow make it lessen. Hiccup clenched a fist at how simple it was. And how angry it made him. All of this death, this blood and gore. It was all pointless. And it was something these people hadn't done maliciously. Because they were being poisoned too.

There was no Fearsyfon, there never was.

It was _the spores_.

* * *

At that moment of revelation, a cyclone of flame suddenly burned above Hiccup's head, causing everyone to cower as it hit the far wall behind them in a mighty unbroken stream. The whirling fire could only have come from a Stormcutter, which meant...  
"Dragon riders!" a villager yelled, all of them hunching down and seeming to nearly forget about Astrid and Stormfly. The Viking and Nadder took their chance, breaking free from the ones holding them down and rushing around the side of the pit to reach their friends' group. The leader yelled out something Hiccup didn't hear clearly, something about trying to recapture them. He also heard a vague yelling of what sounded like Fishlegs, a flaming boulder from Meatlug suddenly rushing over the top of the hole in the ground and blocking off the cultists' attempts to get Astrid when it hit the wall, creating another gigantic boom. In the back of his mind, Valka was there, screaming at Hiccup to move in the confusion. But he was too interested with what was in the void by his feet. Meatlug's fire and the blast from Cloudjumper had finally shed light on what was in there. And it was disgusting.

A pile of slashed and cut bodies, drowning in pools of rotting blood that descended far deeper than Hiccup had ever expected. The walls of the hole had chisel marks, indicating that the villages had purposely made it this shape when they had found it. The smell was horrendous, a mixture of decay and dead air rising upwards like the most foul air current one could imagine. But the most striking thing, the thing that solidified his theory in his head, was what was growing down there. The fungus, more mushrooms that he had ever seen in one place, lined the walls like a cancer. It had spread almost up to the surface, the constant production of the spores having kept this village infected by the madness for who knew how long. The fact their eyes were constantly red, the fact that they had conjured up this Fearsyfon as an explanation for their state... he knew the 'how'. But now he needed the 'why'.

"Hiccup! We need to GO!"  
Astrid's cry from atop Stormfly's saddle suddenly snapped him back to reality. The village before him was now threatening to burn down, the residents struggling to control the fungi powered flames that were slowly consuming the chamber. And that gave him an idea. He spun around in place, jumping on top of Toothless' saddle while the cultists were distracted. The Night Fury looked back at him, still red eyed but twitchy in anticipation of escape.

 _'We're getting out...?'_

"We'll be home soon, bud," Hiccup hummed in Toothless' ear, scratching behind one of the plates. He turned his head back towards his mother and the other riders. "Get out of here, I have an idea! I'll hold them off to make sure they can't follow us! And _hold your breath!_ " That last part of his command confused the other riders greatly. Why would they need to do that?  
"Don't be a hero, son, we can't stay here any longer!" Valka cried, the shimmer of the red in her own eyes startling him a little. How long had his mother been down here as well...? He had no time to question it, gripping onto the dragon's saddle and waving his arms frantically in the direction of the entrance.  
"Just get out of here and don't breathe anything in! We'll be right behind you!" Toothless seemed to concur with a roar of his own, focused on the other dragons. He trusted Hiccup to know what he was doing.

 _'Go! GO!'_

Astrid also trusted Hiccup's judgement and began to yell at the other riders.  
"Come on, get out!" she cried, Stormfly crackling and warbling as she followed her Alpha's orders. Cloudjumper made way for the others to get past his much larger frame, pulling at Valka's arm with a wing tip to comply with the Alpha as well.

 _'Alpha and Son will be fine, we must leave!'_

Valka resisted for a lingering moment, almost as if to check that this wasn't another hallucination of what was in these caves. Hiccup stared back at her, a trace of a smile at the corner of his lips. His eyes were still red, but he seemed in control. And she knew he'd find a way out of this now.  
"Don't be long...!" she yelled, leaping onto Cloudjumper's back as they ran back through the entrance.

"You... you've ruined _everything!_ "  
The leader's voice suddenly broke Hiccup's concentration on his friends' escape. He stared down his enemy, just as Toothless snarled at him as well.  
"There's nothing to ruin!" the chieftain shouted back. "You've been corrupted just as much as the people you've killed! Not by a Fearsyfon, but by nature!"  
"Lies!"  
"Denier!"  
"He'll destroy us all!"  
The cacophony of voices showed just how much Hiccup was having to fight against these people's beliefs. And belief was near impossible to change, as he had found out first hand with Drago.  
"You insult all we have done for the sake of the world!" the leader shouted, his eyes wide and shining in the light of his burning home. "We felt the tremors beneath our feet when the Fearsyfon awoke, we saw it destroy our village and only we can keep it locked down here! You've doomed _everyone!_ "  
"There _is_ no Fearsyfon!" Hiccup yelled, baring his teeth as he started to construct another theory as he spoke, his mind working frantically to work out how these people had seen and felt what they had. "You said you felt tremors? No beast can do that. But nature can! They're what made the Syfon Rocks out on the sea. It was a _volcano_ , not a creature! It stirred the air down here, probably allowed the spores from all this fungus to leak into your village through cracks in the ground or these caves!"  
"What...?" The cultist head relaxed his stance a bit as Hiccup carried on. How did this insolent youth know this?  
"You've been poisoned by what's in that hole, the plants! It's an infection, making you see things you didn't want to see, forcing you to see something that was the only thing you could imagine that would make those tremors! And the longer you've been down here, the worse it's gotten!" Hiccup paused, trying to make sure he wasn't breathing too deeply as the burning spores were only intensifying the voices in his head. "You're all sick! And... and we can help you!"

The offer of peace actually shut the leader up. Though he still was clutching his knife pretty hard to show he wasn't going to be placated so easily, it actually did make him stop. After everything that had happened, the Viking was still willing to attempt an amicable solution? Hiccup had to give them a chance. They couldn't help what they'd done. They'd not been themselves. He was sure that they were good people underneath this behavior somehow. Toothless vibrated threateningly at them, his vision flicking between different targets to make sure they wouldn't get close. He wasn't so forgiving.  
"Let this end. Now," the chief said firmly over the roar of flames, repeating the infamous line he used on Drago all that time ago. "We can find a cure, we can help you stop living like this..!"  
"HERETIC!" the leader screamed, glancing around the burning of his village with open arms. "This is your idea of helping?! Destroying what you don't understand?! _Blasphemer!_ The Fearsyfon _will_ consume you! Brothers, sisters! Take him down!"

Hiccup frowned. He felt it was worth a try. But now the entire population of the settlement was starting to advance towards him around either side of the pit. The orange glow of the fire make them look menacing, crazed as some had their masks blown off from the explosions. All the same red eyes. All the same creeping grins of insanity. As much as Hiccup didn't want to do this, he knew he had no choice. He had to make sure no one else would become tainted by this place.  
"Alright, bud..." he hissed, leaning down against the Night Fury's ear. "When I say so, fire a plasma blast into that pit. Then _run_. Don't stop running until we're out and make sure to hold your breath. This place is going to be flooded with this stuff."  
Toothles grunted as Hiccup clung to the saddle, ready to strike at a moment's notice. Whatever his human was planning, he better do it quick. The others were advancing on him slowly but surely, their hands outstretched like victims of the Scourge. It was... unnerving.

 _'Hiccup...?'_

Toothless' worried growl was enough to show his rider that it would have to be now or never. Hiccup exhaled, trying to make sure he wouldn't breathe in too harshly.  
"NOW!"

The Night Fury's jaws parted and spat out another signature burst of purple plasma, the burning projectile sailing through the air almost gracefully towards the edge of the pit. The villagers didn't even realise what had happened at first when Toothless' fire reflected off the inside wall of the hole and directly into where their victims lay. In an instant, a monstrous pillar of fire burst from the void, shooting upwards towards the cave roof and exploding out in all directions. It was like the volcano had been reincarnated in this very moment, the searing wall of heat and flaming destruction making the air turn hot as it boiled. The force from the explosion nearly forced both Hiccup and Toothless back despite the strong grip the Night Fury had on the ground. Hiccup himself cried out in effort to hold on, feeling the searing hot air slam into the back of his throat as he did so. The villagers screamed, falling onto the ground from both the shockwave and what they were seeing. Some of them were already pointing and becoming hysterical.  
"Th-The Fearsyfon! It's back!"  
"It's going to destroy us all!"  
"No! NO!"  
"Spare us, please!"  
"STOP!"

Hiccup could only stare in an awful mixture of horror and pity as the corrupted citizens writhed on the ground, screaming as if the fire was literally burning them when it had dissipated overhead. His offer of a cure seemed like wishful thinking at witnessing it. They were too far gone to help at this point. Years of isolation and poison from the spores had ruined their minds, their sanity. The only thing he could do at this point was to make sure no one ever found this place again, to make sure no one would suffer as they had. Although, already he realized he had made a mistake in attempting to destroy those damned plants.

He'd opened his mouth at the explosion. He'd let more of the corruption in. He'd known it would be the final straw for him if he did. Already, his body was starting to twitch, the voices in his head starting to become clear and scathing, like the people they belonged to were right against his ear. He batted at Toothless' scale frantically, realising in his rapidly slipping grasp on reality that they needed to go.  
"B-Bud, run! RUN!"

* * *

The riders had barely made it to the surface, gasping for air after having held their breath constantly from when they had started running, when they heard an almighty explosion from deep in the caves. The bass-filled shockwaves rumbled through their feet, a sudden burst of hot air blasting out of the cave entrance they had just left. They gasped as they covered their eyes and mouths, backing away from the entrance with stumbling steps. Astrid spun around, shouting into the caves.  
"Hiccup!"

She didn't get a response, threatening to run in after him and knock him out for being so stupid and brave. Her hands curled into fists as she grit her teeth behind clenched shut jaws. It was only when she heard the unmistakable slapping and slamming of feet against stone that she relaxed a little. Valka seemed to notice it too, coming to Astrid's side and prepared for what could be the final thing they needed to go home. She turned her attention to Snotlout, Fishegs and the twins.  
"All of you, head back to Berk and bring whatever dragons are spare as fast as you can! We may need help getting them back!" The four riders nodded and followed the command of the chief's mother, slipping into their saddles as though it were automatic and sped off into the sky with a leap off the edge of the island cliffs. Only Astrid, Valka, Stormfly and Cloudjumper remained. Anxiety hung in the air as they weren't sure what was going to come out of the black. Was he alright? Was he safe? Or would they be chasing him out?

The answer came a second after the thought crossed their minds. A roar of distress broke the silence of the moment, the heavy pads of footsteps echoing towards them before something burst out from the darkness. Toothless' body sprang out of the cave entrance with a gigantic leap, his balance lopsided because of his injured wing and what looked like a dead weight on his back. As the Night Fury sailed overhead, he tumbled to the ground in a wince-inducing crash, whining as he rolled over his broken wing when he slid to a halt. He'd tried so hard to get Hiccup out of there, pained hisses escaping his jaws as he lay on his side, the blood red color of his eyes still raging.

 _'H-Hiccup... is he OK...?'_

Hiccup himself had tumbled off the saddle behind Toothless's frame. Astrid and Valka gasped in shock and ran towards the site of the injured Viking and dragon. Valka tended to Toothless, kneeling by his side with Cloudjumper as she tried to assess the damage to his wing and whatever else may have happened down there. The Night Fury was not in a good way, having nearly killed himself in his efforts to keep going and keep Hiccup safe despite his rather grim injuries. But Astrid would be the one who'd find herself with the worst job.

"Hiccup...?"  
She could only murmur his name as she came close to her chief's body, noticing how it was hunched inwards like he was trying to curl himself into a ball. His hands were clasping at his head as he slowly rocked, panicked breathing and utterances of fear managing to get past the tight seal of his clenched teeth. Astrid reached out a hand, trying to get his attention and pull him onto his back to help him, but the moment her fingers made contact, Hiccup jerked his head towards her in a way that made his lover jump backwards in shock.

Hiccup's eyes were burning. The irises were the brightest shade of red Astrid had ever seen on anything, tendrils of strained and burst blood vessels even making the whites of his eyes look red. His pupils had shrunk to pin pricks as he stared at her, suddenly seeming to grow even more agitated at doing so.  
"H-Hiccup...?" Astrid stammered, growing noticeably upset when he didn't respond to her. "Hiccup, i-it's me! It's just Astrid!"

Hiccup didn't hear what she said. He didn't even know it was Astrid who was speaking to him. Right now, all he could see was Toothless. A bleeding, howling, begging-for-mercy Toothless who was roaring and wailing in despair at his injuries. Injuries that Hiccup could see he had caused from the sword he could see in his hands. And he was still stabbing. He was cutting and slashing and making Toothless howl in agony with every cut. He wasn't just killing. He was making his dragon suffer. And he couldn't stop himself. He couldn't stop the fear from taking over his head, the fear that something he would choose would kill his best friend if he wasn't careful. And the voices were spitting at him, degrading words barraging his ears so loudly that he couldn't even hear himself starting to yell.  
Hiccup snapped. Just as the cultists foretold he would.

"No! No, stop it! STOP IT!"

 _Hiccup, it hurts..._  
 _I can't take it anymore...!_  
 _Please don't kill me!_

"Np! No, no, NO!"

 _Why didn't you do something?!_  
 _Berk has fallen, we never saw them coming..._  
 _He took all the dragons!_

"Make it stop, SOMEONE MAKE IT STOP!"

 _We don't have enough boats to burn the dead..._  
 _The chief failed us all._  
 _We're all dead because of him._

"ARRRGH!"

The visions only became worse. He saw flashes of a Berk on fire. He saw houses destroyed, dead lining the streets, dragons downed or falling from the sky. He saw his closest loved ones being tortured, he saw them begging him to help them and he did nothing to stop their attackers. He saw a black shape plummeting into the sea, trails of gore and blood following them as the most horrific sound tore through his skull.  
The sound of Toothless dying.

Hiccup screamed with a volume loud enough to wake the dead. His fingers dug into his hair as he rocked back and forth, screwing his eyes shut as Astrid tried to rouse him from the grip of the poison.  
"Hiccup, snap out of it! Please, wake UP!"  
She struggled against his movements, trying to keep him still as tears of her own fear slipped over her cheeks. She didn't know what to do. She didn't know how to save him from his madness. Hiccup didn't even notice her attempts. He couldn't. All he could see was the dead faces of everyone he loved. Dead by his decisions. Dead from his inability to lead and protect. Dead because of him. Because of his biggest fear that he would let everyone down.

His voice grew hoarse.  
His sense of being started to fade.  
The poison had done it's work.

The world turned black.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** _The story is not yet done. One more chapter remains._


	8. Causatum

**How To Train Your Dragon:** **Perturbation  
** **Chapter 8: Causatum**

* * *

The journey back to Berk was not easy. Nor was it short. With a chieftain who had been throwing his body around in a fit of madness from the infection and a Night Fury unable to fly, the other dragon riders had to improvise in order to get them home. At least an hour or so had passed since Valka had told them to head back to the island for help. She and Astrid hadn't been able to do much to help Hiccup or Toothless, making the best with what they had to make sure they were at least comfortable. Which wasn't as much as she would've liked to provide.

A sudden roar from the distance distracted her from her thoughts of caring for her two 'sons'. She could already see the outlines of Snoutlout, the twins, and Fishlegs returning on their dragons appearing on the horizon. Two other silhouettes also accompanied them, the heavy flaps of wings and large frames proving to her that it could only be Eret and Gobber. The riders had enlisted their help, knowing that they'd need the bulky strength of both Skullcrusher and Grump to help with their idea.

As the two big dragons came into a better viewing distance, Valka could see they were flying side by side with a bulky object stretched between them. Too thick to be a rope, but it was held in both the reptile's sets of claws like it was. As Snotlout and Fishlegs pointed out the site to land from above, it was now obvious that they had brought a gigantic sheet of fabric-like material with them, laying it on the ground in a long rectangular shape. Eret and Gobber landed their dragons and descended to the ground with heavy thuds of Viking against grass. They seemed a bit out of touch with what was happening, whirling their heads around to see what all the fuss was about. An abandoned island this far out, the distinct smell of burning in the air and a trail of smoke coming out of a cave? Interesting way to spend a vacation away from home.

"Hell of a day you've had out here..." muttered Gobber as he approached. "What happened?" The Viking stopped short when he turned his gaze to the ground, seeing Valka and Astrid comforting and trying to calm an injured Toothless and a whimpering Hiccup. All pretense of joking about the trouble that the chief had gotten into vanished when he saw it. This was no laughing matter.  
"I assume the others told you what's wrong...?" Valka asked, looking over her shoulder back at her husband's friend.  
"Not really, no," Eret interrupted with a shrug. "They just said that there was an injured dragon and we needed to improvise a way to carry them. Didn't expect it to be them, as much as _he_ keeps telling me I should when stuff goes wrong," he explained, pointing to Gobber. The one armed, one legged blacksmith looked almost offended.  
" _I_ keep telling you that? It's common knowledge around Berk what these two trouble makers get up to! Chief or not!"  
"Can you _please_ stop and help?! We don't have time for this!"

Astrid's voice broke apart the little amount of bickering there was before it had chance to escalate, her head still held low as she was desperately trying to keep Hiccup conscious and alert. He still wasn't responding to her. Even though he had since stopped screaming thanks to a momentary blackout, the shivering jerks of his body in a rocking motion hadn't. He still gripped onto the sides of his head as his breathing came out unnaturally and broken. His eyes burned as red as the steadily approaching sunset on the horizon of the ocean, his cheeks wet from tears. They were wide and wild, like the cultists beneath their feet. Whatever he was continuing to see had broken him. Eret and Gobber shut up immediately as they hurried close.  
"What happened to him...?" the blacksmith asked, almost seeming in disbelief that anyone could get this way.  
"He was poisoned... bad," Astrid said, her voice betraying her attempt at an honest tone since it sounded like she didn't want to elaborate on what it was. "We need to get him back to Gothi as soon as possible, she has to have a cure! Come on, let's go!" She had started to lose her composure a bit, shaking Hiccup a bit harder. Gobber held onto her shoulders and squeezed them to keep her still.  
"Come on now, lass, it's not like you to get all emotional on us," he assured her. "We'll get him home, you have my word on that." Astrid nodded with a light sniff as silent thanks, wishing she wouldn't have to leave her boyfriend's side to get him back. But she knew she had to so they could tend to him.

Eret explained the plan to the others as Valka helped a weary Toothless rest himself down on the thick sheet they had brought. The plan was to use it as a hoist in between them, essentially acting as a giant sling in order to transport Toothless without threatening to damage his wing further. Much easier than using other dragon claws to do the same job in a much rougher way. The Night Fury lay on the side that wasn't where his broken wing was, letting out an exhale as he tried to relax. They were finally going home. The nightmare was over. He felt exhausted, his eyes stinging less than before but still with a tinge of light red to them. He may have been resistant enough to the spores to prevent a full blown breakdown like Hiccup, but Toothless knew he had cut it pretty damn fine. He bet he he could sleep for days if they let him, such was the weight of fatigue on his wings. But as the corners of the sheet started to raise up and around him like a cocoon from Skullcrusher and Grump starting their lift, Toothless felt something was missing. He let out a sudden burst of noise that stopped them from starting their ascent. His head looked up from his position on the ground to try and find Hiccup, his front claws batting at the sheet and slamming against the material insistently.

 _'Where's Hiccup...? I don't want to leave him alone!'_

The concerned noises and that demanding stomp showed everyone that Toothless wanted his rider nearby. He was not going to leave without Hiccup, he refused. An easier task said than done when the Viking was in this state. But, they knew it would probably be safer. To put Hiccup on a saddle when he was lost to these realistic visions was an idea that could end up making him fall, something they couldn't risk. Plus, they knew not to get on the bad side of a Night Fury. Gobber stepped up to take responsibility for it, reaching down with his bulky arms and scooping Hiccup up off the ground. Astrid and Valka watched with held breath, hoping that the young man's reaction to the change in position wouldn't be bad. The chieftain twitched violently as he was pulled off the grass, a brief exclamation of nerves escaping his clenched jaws before he became still again. Gobber didn't like this one bit as he stared down at Hiccup's near catatonic expression, those blazing red irises staring into space. Reminded him far too much of the day that they thought Hiccup had been lost to the Red Death.

The chief's mentor laid down their young leader by Toothless, the dragon's claws instantly reaching outwards to pull his rider towards himself. The Night Fury's entire body hunched inwards like the protective shell he had made that day as well, even as Hiccup seemed oblivious to what was happening in his hallucinogenic state of mind.  
"No... n-no, no..." he muttered to himself in a loop. Toothless vibrated, nuzzling the back of Hiccup's head. He'd felt concern before, the panic of losing Hiccup to threats that towered over them and threatened to destroy them both. But this was different. And much worse. Just like the fear that had consumed his human, Toothless' worry was primal and personal now.

 _'I'll keep you safe. I promise.'_

Now that the permission to depart had been granted by one of their wounded passengers, Eret and Gobber commanded their dragons to pull and hoist as quickly as they could. Astrid stood below, watching them with clenched fists and a harshly bitten lower lip. She wanted to be there with Hiccup, but that sheet looked as though it was only just handling its current load's weight. Valka came to her side, squeezing around the arm closest to her as the pair of them stared at the bundle of material being taken higher and higher into the air.  
"Gothi _will_ be able to cure him, right...?" Astrid asked in the dead space of noise that fell upon the island. Valka hesitated in an answer. In all truth, she didn't know. She could pray and hope and wish, but it would't change that uncertainty. Such a strange plant, such specific effects. It would depend on whether or not Gothi had seen these symptoms before. Even Valka knew she may have had to take a potential cure since she had had prior exposure. Maybe they all would. She couldn't say. What she did know was that Astrid needed the support. As much as her own anxiety over Hiccup's eventual fate was driving her crazy, her mothering side came out as she assured her potential future daughter-in-law.  
"She will. He'll get through this. We'll be able to forget any of this ever happened, you'll see."  
Though Astrid nodded, she didn't believe it. Even Valka wasn't sure that she did.

* * *

"Toothless... T-Toothless... please come back... don't leave me, bud, please..."

Hiccup kept groaning the dragon's name over and over to himself as he slowly rocked with surprising strength against the embrace of the Night Fury. His eyes were properly bloodshot now to accompany the red hues of his irises, making it look as they he hadn't slept in days. His hands were clutching at his head hard enough to make the wound ooze more blood. The headache was so unbearable, he wanted to claw into his own brain to make it stop. At least he knew how those unfortunate souls in the maze felt now. The sling rocked as the air currents of their flight battered into their little emergency nest. Toothless was determined to make sure Hiccup would never feel the cold of it, still occasionally licking the back of his human's head with a gentle coo.

 _'I would never leave you...'_

Maybe it was to try and clean the wound to make it easier to work on later. Maybe it was to reassure Hiccup that he was still here despite what his visions were telling him with such visceral detail. Or maybe it was just so that Toothless felt he could actually do something to help. In all truth, he felt a little useless. His front claws remained wrapped around the Viking's chest to keep him secure against the dragon's warm underside. Although they started to slip a bit when Hiccup suddenly got worse.

"No... no, please, no! No!"  
At those words, Hiccup's breathing became uneasy. It was quick, rapid in pace, almost as if he were hyperventilating. The shivers that were already running rampant up and down his spine started to get more intense, his heart beating hard enough against the inside of his ribs that Toothless could feel each impact against his own chest. Beads of sweat started to form on the Viking's brow, his eyes somehow managing to show even more of themselves when they widened as he lost the capacity to speak. His dragon couldn't begin to guess what he was seeing. But it involved something very close to him being forced to leave forever.

"They're... th-they're all gone... no...!"  
Toothless knew it was a panic attack. He'd seen Hiccup have these before years back, during the weeks after the fiasco with the Red Death. Every other night or so as he was just trying to read or work, they'd come of out nowhere like it was a remnant of the trauma. The poison of the fungi had caused it to happen again, exacerbating his human's anxiety in a way that mirrored those days all those years ago. The Night Fury only knew one solution that had helped. Hiccup himself had asked him to do this when it had gotten really bad one night. And Toothless had tried to remember it well, just in case. He just hoped that it would work here to.

"You can't go...!"  
The dragon squeezed Hiccup tightly towards himself, his movements deliberately slow and gentle so as not to be too much of a shock. He folded what he could of his wings over his human's body to isolate him from the noise of the wind and beating of dragon wings above them. His head bent down and laid over the top of Hiccup's own as he breathed as deeply as he could in a controlled manner. His rider had said it had been very calming before, just to hear the resonance of Toothless' breathing. Though Toothless himself had no idea if it would work here when Hiccup was not in control of his senses.

 _'Calm, Hiccup. Calm.'_

Again, Toothless timed his breathing, tightening and then releasing his claws in tandem with it as if to try and make Hiccup's inhales and exhales sync with his own. Hiccup was still trembling, but his breath was starting to come under control, if a little shaky. Toothless looked down. Those eyes were still a ferocious crimson, staring into the void. It made his rider look inhuman. Like those inhumans who had threatened them and tried to kill them in the first place. They didn't matter anymore. All that mattered was getting home.

Toothless kept Hiccup in his embrace for the entire journey. He wouldn't let go.

* * *

"Make room, make room!" Eret yelled below him as they came to land in the center of the village. "Night Fury and chief inbound!" Berk's residents had naturally gathered to see what all the fuss was about, like they'd only just realized there'd been a problem to fuss over in the first place. The bundle of fabric slipped down to the ground as Skullcrusher and Grump hovered above it. The edges unfurled, revealing Toothless and Hiccup to the rest of the village. The dragons that accompanied their Viking companions seemed much more relaxed now that their Alpha had returned despite his injury, but noticed the Night Fury himself was anything but. As Eret and Gobber touched the ground, the other riders landed in a semi-circle around them, trying to back the crowd off. Astrid jumped off of Stormfly before she even had chance to prepare for landing, hurrying over to her boyfriend and his dragon, sliding to her knees. Toothless stared at her as she came close, relaxing his claws a little to allow her to see if Hiccup had changed. Though not as twitchy, the Viking was still near unresponsive to her presence.

"Hang in there, Hiccup..." Astrid whispered, brushing her hand over his sweat and blood-stained fringe. She stood and whirled around, shouting to the rest of the crowd. "Make way, we have to get him to Gothi! _Now!_ " The other Berkians did so with an air of confusion about them, starting to mutter among themselves as to what could've put their two Alphas in such a sorry state.  
"He looks like he's sick or something..."  
"Do you think it was Drago?"  
"Toothless' wing doesn't look good either."  
"Gothi will know what to do, right?"  
Astrid blocked them out as she kept yelling at them to move, thankful that the other dragon riders were being responsible and doing the same thing to help behind her. They could speculate all they liked, they'd explain later. Toothless even aided her efforts as he let out a demanding noise to the other dragons. They stepped back with their Vikings, forming a line with their wings to clear the space on the orders of their Alpha.

Valka was only seconds behind the rest when she finally came back to dry land as well, leaping off of Cloudjumper's back and joining Astrid by Hiccup's side. Both of them were still intact at least. A small bit of good news.  
"How is he?"  
"Conscious, but... he didn't even know I was there," Astrid blurted back showing a rare crack in her brave face, ceasing her efforts to make a walkway to Gothi to face Valka properly. She sighed to compose herself, rubbing at her eyes. "We can look after Toothless here, but we need to get Hiccup up there quick."  
"Agreed," the chief's mother replied. The Night Fury was the least affected of the two by the spore's infection, even though he still had the telltale signs of a crimson shade to his eyes, so he would be fine for now. Hiccup on the other hand...

"Gobber, help me move him!" Valka called over, gesturing to the bundle in Toothless' grasp with her staff. Her husband's friend nodded and kneeled down to scoop up their chief in the same way as on the island. Toothless didn't seem happy about it as he reluctantly relaxed his legs to let his human free. Hiccup didn't like it either.  
"G-Get away from me! NO! You're WRONG!"  
His sudden outburst shut everyone up as he was hoisted into Gobber's arms. His body twitched as he struggled violently against his 'captor', darting his head around as though he was vaguely trying to understand what was happening to him. It was like being away from Toothless' calming sounds had unleashed another wave of the fungi's poisonous effects in his head.

In his mind, Hiccup had been surrounded. By Drago, by Viggo, by the Beserkers, by everyone he had ever managed to defeat over the years of fighting for peace. And behind them was the ruins of his home, the bodies of his friends... a further manifestation of the fear of revenge. The doubt that gnawed away at the back of his mind that all of these vile individuals would come back to seek vindication one day. And they were _tauntin_ g him. They knew they had won and they were _proud_ of it.

 _I told you your carelessness would kill them..._  
 _In the face of true strength, you're_ still _nothing._  
 _Every dragon will be slaughtered and sold. Thanks to your carelessness._  
 _You're certainly hard to get of. But them, on the other hand.._  
 _They're all expendable. Why so glum, my boy? They're replaceable. Well, some of them._  
 _Finish him._

Toothless exclaimed a noise as Hiccup cried into the air with a violent spasm, forcing himself to his feet with frantic misteps and rustling of the sling as he saw Hiccup being taken away in the grip of another panic attack. He couldn't abandon him now, his other half needed him to stay calm! He even pushed past the pain of his broken wing flexing out to balance himself as he scrambled to get up, even as it made a horrendous wet grinding noise from doing so. Valka reacted by pressing down on the Night Fury's snout, trying to keep him still.  
"I'm sorry, beautiful, I'm sorry," she mumbled, pushing her hand insistently to make sure the dragon wouldn't try. "But he needs Gothi's help, you have to stay here so we can look at your wing."  
Toothless didn't want to listen to her and kept trying to get around her regardless of what she said. Valka's natural agility made it impossible to try as she blocked him off at every turn. He darted left, shuffled right, even threatened to jump over her. She was there at every attempt, her face showing great patience and knowledge about how to deal with unruly dragons. The Night Fury knew deep down she was right and stopped his attempts to escape. But he still growled in frustration and spat out a ball of plasma onto the ground to prove it, making some of the crowd jump back a little in surprise. Cloudjumper frowned and leaned his head down to the younger dragon, vibrating a growl to him.

 _'Please, Alpha, control yourself. Son will be fine, but you are hurt.'_

Toothless stared at the larger Stormcutter with a defiant huff. The red eyes only emphasized the anger he felt at the situation. He should've been able to protect Hiccup better, stopped him from ever getting this sick. And now he wasn't being allowed to come with him when his human needed him the most.

The Night Fury closed his eyes for a moment, lowering his head to the ground begrudgingly to let Valka tend to his injury. He opened them again and stared up at the walkway to Gothi's shack, powerless to help as his screaming rider was taken inside. Only time would tell whether she'd be able to do anything for him.

* * *

The hours felt like days. The rest of the day felt like a week. Though Berk had tried to focus on the usual daily routines of trade, building and dragon training to distract themselves, it was hard to ignore the fact that the chief was not in a good way. They had no idea whether he'd even be able to survive, the reasons for his poisoning and what he'd been doing out there to contract the infection still a mystery even with the sparse details they'd been given. Hiccup remained in Gothi's shack for the rest of the day, his absence lasting well into the late night until nearly everyone was asleep. By this point, his mania had ceased and he was now at least aware of where he was once again. But the red eyes had still not gone, neither had his head pain. Despite all of the elder's best efforts for her chief, the only thing she had managed to accomplish was to calm him down with enough foul tasting medicines to last a lifetime. Real or imaginary.

Astrid and Valka had remained at the house waiting patiently for Hiccup to come back. They sat in the living space, mugs of broth offered from Gobber in their hands as if he knew they'd be in for a long night. They were in much more relaxed clothing now, looking like they were ready for bed themselves. A fire burned a few feet away from them as a sleeping Cloudjumper had curled his body around the two of them to try and redirect the heat. Stormfly sat next to Astrid, having long since decided to sleep as well with a soft crackly snoring noise. Her rider took a large swig from the mug, almost spilling it in her eagerness to drink it. She wasn't sure whether it was because Gobber had put something mystery in here to make it taste so satisfying or because it was just something well needed after the horrors of the last few days. Try as they might, it wouldn't be something they could just forget.

"Did we do the right thing just leaving all those people behind?" Astrid asked. "They couldn't help what they did, it wasn't their fault."  
"Maybe it wasn't," Valka replied, taking a sip. "But they were too far gone. They were so consumed by their fear, they destroyed their own homes when they thought they were running away from something else doing it. And you saw what it did to Hiccup and Toothless in just a day. No... that poison was too strong."  
"What did you end up telling everyone?" the young girl inquired, referring to Valka's previous attempts of trying to assure the village that what had happened wasn't as serious as they thought.  
"Only what I needed to," the older woman replied. "I said Hiccup went out searching for a lead on Drago and was hit with an infection we needed to treat. I didn't want to give them the full details."  
"I thought people would be asking questions on why our eyes are red too. They haven't faded yet."  
"Well, we were exposed to it as well. Even years after I visited that island, it affected me in just the same way as though I'd never left. Maybe that's just how it works, it lingers inside you. It would explain the villagers being taken over by it."  
Astrid nodded, clutching at the mug in her hands hard enough to make the wood shape creak, something Valka picked up on with a worried frown.  
"You... you don't think this is permanent, do you?" the young girl braved. The possibility that it could be was very real. If the spores had managed to affect Valka immediately despite having been away from them for years and years, then what if Hiccup's panic attacks would become the norm? What if he had suffered even worse damage with that head injury?  
"I don't know, love," Valka admitted with a slump of her shoulders. "I wish I could just-"

The former Dragon Thief's trail of thought was broken when the door suddenly swung open and hit the wall with a bump. In the entrance way was Hiccup. With Gobber beside him propping him up on his unsteady feet, the young man had a bandage wrapped around his head, flattening the odd lock of his messy hair. His flying leathers had been removed and he'd been put into casual wear as well, his old red shirt and brown pants. He stared at the floor, occasionally grimacing at the occasional pulse of pain. His eyes weren't bloodshot anymore but they were still that fierce blood red color. It didn't show any signs of fading. He looked a mess, but at least he was alive.

"Hiccup!" Astrid exclaimed, rushing to her feet and nearly spilling her drink in the process. She stood only a pace in front of him, reaching forward to push his hair out of his eyes and raise his head to look at her.  
"Hi," he said plainly, braving the smallest trace of a smile despite how rotten he still felt. Astrid looked him over, holding onto his hands with a tight squeeze. He didn't return it.  
"How are you feeling...?"  
"Like I fought the Red Death all over again by myself. At least I didn't lose another limb this time."  
She couldn't help but smirk. At least the infection hadn't claimed his sense of humor. Hiccup stepped forward and almost immediately nearly stumbled over himself. Astrid barely managed to catch him as she and Gobber helped him back up when Valka approached as well. She motioned Gobber off to the side to try and find out what happened, what Gothi had done. The blacksmith complied as they left Astrid and Hiccup to it. Hiccup's mother could only hope that a cure had been found.

"What did she do? Had she come across it before?"  
"Nothing of the sort," Gobber explained with a sigh. "We were in there for hours, pouring all sorts of ingredients and potions and who knows what else into the bottle. I'm glad I didn't ask where the smelly ones came from..."  
"Nothing...? Then how did she do it?" Valka asked. She was kind of shocked someone with Gothi's experience had been so powerless to help, especially since Hiccup was now up and about like he always was.  
"Blind luck. She was able to get rid of the more drastic symptoms, but she said that spores have a nasty way of lingering in your head. She doesn't know a proper cure apart from 'stay away from nightmare-inducing fungus'. Bit obvious, I guess." Valka's expression scowled as the possibilities flooded her thoughts. So did that mean Hiccup would be constantly running the chance of another attack? Or did it just mean a simple change in eye color? It was hard to say what the true extent of the damage was.

"Say, Astrid?" Hiccup asked weakly, still kneeling on the floor. "Where's..."  
Before he had the chance to finish his question, the sounds of heavy hits against wood and the nimble gymnastics of a dragon not aware of his size caught everyone's attention. Toothless, damaged wing bandaged up just like his rider was and still with a gentle red hue to his eyes, came charging down off the rim of the house's upper floor, a big smile stretched across his face. Finally, his rider was home! And he even looked better! Hiccup managed a weak smile of his own, still clutching onto Astrid's hands for support to stay upright.  
"There's my big baby boo..." he joked with a snicker, causing his dragon to huff in mock annoyance and approach with a loving croon. He pushed his head towards the human's cheek with a purposely gentle nuzzle, realizing that Hiccup was still too fragile to do what he wanted to. He wished he could scoop the human up in his wings and squeeze him tight, chastise him for scaring him so much and promising to never leave his side again. But that would have to wait until the following days. Or weeks. Possibly months.

 _'I missed you. I was waiting for you all day...'_

The chief rested the side of his head against Toothless' warm scale. He closed his eyes to savor the contact, the heat feeling like it was radiant enough to penetrate his soul. He merely let out a mumbled noise of acknowledgement before another wave of pain from his head made him wince, prompting Toothless to back off. Astrid noticed it as well and leaned towards her love, holding his other free cheek in her palm.  
"Let's get you to bed, OK? Doctor's orders."  
"Okay, first of all... who made you chief...?" Hiccup murmured softly. "And second, you're no doctor..." Astrid could only giggle before she pressed a kiss where her hand used to be. The old Hiccup was still in there somewhere.

* * *

The night passed without further incident. Hiccup was ordered to rest and sleep and he followed that command without hesitation. Toothless never once left his side throughout the night, sitting by his beside and resting his head against and near the Viking's torso. He nuzzled and rubbed his face against the human's wandering fingers whenever they twitched, a silent gesture that Hiccup needed to know he was still there. Even though he was free from the obscene visions of the spores, he still wasn't sure what was real. How could he be? He'd experienced, seen and felt the most awful things he'd ever witnessed. Things that he had been convinced were real but had nearly ended in his own death or Toothless'. If such a simple thing as a strange form of plant seeds could do that to a person... what would make them stop? He kept thinking about it over and over in his head for hours, even as Toothless eventually fell asleep himself. Valka came to check on him a few times during the night and was glad to see he had done the same after some time.

The morning arrived like any other had, like this entire thing hadn't been real. The ones involved knew better. It was still super early when Toothless awoke, his body clock still synchronized to their usual flight time. His jaws stretched open in a yawn, taking his head off the bed to stretch the rest of his body and flinching when he did the same to his broken wing. Almost forgot he'd done that. Lack of memory aside, the Night Fury blinked a few times to focus his vision. And immediately saw that Hiccup wasn't there. The dragon inhaled sharply, darting his head around the room. No sign of him. His flying leathers hadn't been taken. Nor had any of his salvaged equipment from that island. Hiccup was just gone.

Toothless felt his heartbeat suddenly increase exponentially in his chest, thudding against his rib cage like a hammer against an anvil. Where was Hiccup? Where did he go? His head ran wild with possibilities, none of them good. Still fueled by the spores that clung to his health, the dragon's eyes began to turn red again, the slightest hint of whispers manifesting in his head.

 _He's probably left you._  
 _Because you didn't try to save him._  
 _Or maybe he's dead._  
 _It's your fault if he is._

As much as the voices were starting to scare him, Toothless swore to be brave against them. He rumbled to himself in defiance, as though the act of doing that itself would be enough to shut them up. The dragon got to his feet and hurried downstairs in his usual stealthy and sleek approach so as not to disturb anyone who may have been still resting in the living room. He had barely gotten out of the front door before he eventually found an answer that relieved him.

Hiccup was sat on the cliff edge nearest the house. Just like when they had left a few days ago. He wasn't staring at a map, he wasn't plotting. He was just sat there, the brisk chill of the morning breeze having made him wrap his arms around himself. Toothless whirred as he approached his human cautiously, his footsteps masked by the whipping of the wind against the grass. What was Hiccup doing? Was he just trying to wake himself up? Or... had the spores made him see something again? The uncertainty made another voice hiss in Toothless' ear, as much as he tried to shut it out.

 _He's going to jump. You know he will._

No. Hiccup would never do that. Anxiety or not, Toothless knew in his heart that his rider would never do it. He eventually came close enough to sit behind Hiccup, placing his front claws on either side of the Viking's body. The Night Fury's head stayed raised above Hiccup's own, staring down at him in concern. He almost wondered whether the chief had even realized he was here because he was so quiet.  
"Yeah. I pretended to be asleep for Mom's sake. I could tell she was running herself ragged looking after me. But I couldn't sleep. I didn't want to," Hiccup suddenly explained. His eyes never once left the horizon, nor did he turn his head to face Toothless. But he knew the dragon was there. Toothless himself remained silent, still looking down at his broken little human like he were a precious object. Hiccup was still not OK. it was obvious when he continued to speak.

"It's not like I didn't try. But every time I closed my eyes, I kept seeing what I saw down there. I see those people dying, I see everyone I care about disappear..." he ranted, his voice growing steadily more emotional the more he went on. "I-I see Drago and Viggo and everyone accusing me of being a failure, I see D-Dad saying... saying that he's disappointed in me... I s-see the dragons v-vanishing from the world and I... I keep seeing myself killing you..."

Toothless' blood ran cold. Killing him...? Why would the spores make Hiccup see something like that? What kind of fear was that? In a way it didn't matter, the obvious distress in his human's voice making the dragon want to squeeze him tight. But he didn't know if he should. From this position, Hiccup's eyes were nearly glowing red in the light of the morning son. The chief's body was twitching as his breathing became harsher, like it was the onset of another attack. But it never manifested properly. Instead, Hiccup just kept talking. Like getting it all out in the open was going to do something to help, even as he was on the verge of tears.

"W-When I was down there, I... I thought I killed you, bud. I... s-saw myself take my knife and cut a-and... rip and tear. And I thought you w-were dead. Because... because those s-spores? They don't m-make up things to scare you... they... they show you wh-what scares you most. And it did. I'm _terrified_. Scared more than _anything_ else that... that I could d-do something or choose something that t-takes you away from me. I hate the idea that I could make us do something or cause something to happen that kills you and I can't stand it, Toothless, I CAN'T!"

Hiccup's voice echoed off the sea stacks out to shore, the human laying his head in his hands as his back heaved with the beginnings of tears. Toothless hummed sympathetically, hating the fact he couldn't speak back some sort of encouragement.  
"A-And I'm sorry...! I'm _so_ sorry, bud, I'm sorry I made u-us go there... Gods, I'm _such_ an idiot..."  
Nevermind the poison or his head wound. Hiccup was damaged. Who wouldn't be after witnessing such realistic visceral fears brought to life? And yet he had still tried to mask it for the sake of not having others worry about him. It rang so true of his character. The Viking let out a laugh, contradicting his crying as he leaned back and slapped at his own face to calm himself down.  
"Ha! Listen to me say all this stupid stuff... it's not like these feelings weren't there to start with, right? But, turns out all you need is a little life threatening poisoning to admit they are and..."

Toothless' claws raised from their position and wrapped around Hiccup's chest. With a sound of surprise, the Viking found himself being dragged to the space between his dragon's legs and under his head. The Night Fury didn't make a sound, even as he lowered his head to press his chin into his rider's hair. He just kept Hiccup close, wrapped in a comforting bundle as the internal fire of his other half kept out the cold of the oceanic breeze. Hiccup's body relaxed, the shakiness of his breathing starting to lessen. His bottom lip quivered as more tears spilled over his cheeks, sniffing as he managed to subdue the sob. His quaking arms grabbed at Toothless' big claws and kept them pressed against him, the grip fierce against the scale. The Night Fury finally let out a comforting vibration, the sensation rattling down his neck and into Hiccup's body. As he leaned against his dragon, Hiccup closed his eyes and spoke softly.

"Toothless... promise you'll never leave me. I can't imagine a world without you in it."  
The dragon crooned and nuzzled at Hiccup's head, licking against him affectionately with another squeeze of his legs.

 _"I would never leave you, Hiccup._ Never. _"_

The pair of them sat in silence. The sun rose higher in the sky as they just savored each other's company. It wasn't as pleasant an experience as one would imagine. With what they had been through, it was hard to imagine things would be the same again. Hiccup could easily relapse from the spores still being in his body. Toothless could do the same, lose control and threaten the other dragons' well being since he was the Alpha. And if Drago or anyone else found out this new affliction... it wasn't nice to think about the repercussions. Even as the two soul mates sat together on the first morning after their corruption, it persisted in Toothless' mind about what the future could hold. They'd have to be strong. For both of their tribes, their people. But how their affliction affect their efforts? Would it tear their friendship apart? Tear Berk apart? Or would they be able to triumph against the odds if it came to it?

A sudden leaning of Hiccup's weight against his left leg alerted Toothless that his rider had started to rest. He breathed deeply and calmly, his eyes having slid shut. Finally asleep after days of being unable to do so. Toothless licked Hiccup's head once more before letting him sleep in peace, keeping his claws fastened around the Viking like a belt to hold him securely. As much as he liked it, however, he couldn't help but feel the looming possibility of anxiety striking both of was souring the moment.

In a way, the Fearsyfon was real after all. The fear of that place's power taking a hold of one's mind on a whim... it was clear to see why those villagers were so scared of it happening again. Because it could.

And Toothless didn't know if... no, _when_ , it would do so again.

 **-Finis-**


End file.
